Pfizer supports World MRSA Day via ‘Make A Move’ campaign

MANY Filipinos are still not aware of a serious health threat that doctors are always on the lookout for.

MRSA or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is one of the types of drug-resistant bacteria, and cases of infection from this so-called “superbug” have been slowly rising in the country.

This is the warning of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID) in light of the upcoming World MRSA Day on Oct. 2.

The latest data from the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM), which monitors MRSA infection cases in various hospitals across the country, showed that the resistance rate of MRSA in antibiotics increased slightly to 62.6% in 2015 from 60.3% in 2014.

Staph is commonly present in different parts of the body such as the nose and sometimes on the skin, and yet it is also potentially one of the most dangerous bacteria. There are strains that are highly resistant to antibiotics, called MRSA, which may cause different types of infections.

MRSA infections occur in people who have been exposed in hospitals or other health care settings, such as nursing homes and dialysis centers. These so-called health care-associated MRSA develop after invasive procedures or devices, such as in surgeries, use of intravenous tubing or artificial joints.

Otherwise healthy individuals are also vulnerable to MRSA infection. This form, called community-associated MRSA, often begins as a painful skin boil. The infection is usually spread by skin-to-skin contact. Reported cases of this infection often involve athletes, child care workers and people who live in crowded conditions such as prisoners.

MRSA infection is carefully treated with antibiotics such as clindamycin, tri-methoprim-sul-famethozaxole, doxycycline, minocycline, or linezolid. Glycopeptides have been the usual therapy of severe MRSA infections, but strains resistant to such antibiotic have emerged.

Despite the seeming invincibility of MRSA, infectious disease specialist and PSMID past President Dr. Marie Yvette Barez reminded the public of a very simple practice that can stop it in its tracks, and that is hand washing.

For the past three years, Pfizer, as a global health care leader, has been actively involved in commemorating World MRSA Day in the country, alongside PSMID. For this year’s commemoration of World MRSA Day, Pfizer has taken on the theme “Make A Move,” referring to the simple yet vital act of equipping oneself with valuable information on MRSA prevention and treatment. “There are still so many people who do not know what MRSA is or how to prevent its spread,” said Dr. Gigi Claveria, pulmonologist and Pfizer Philippines senior medical manager. “That is why with this new campaign, we want to encourage more people to ‘make a move’ and take care of their health by learning more about how they can prevent MRSA.” “Make A Move” hopes to inspire both health care practitioners and patients to understand the nature, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases caused by this “superbug.” Together with PSMID, Pfizer aims to raise the level of awareness on MRSA so that Filipinos will realize that it is a serious health problem that needs to be addressed.