Friday, Oct. 19, 2007
Maryland could see new measures aimed at eliminating antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA, the potentially lethal variety of staphylococcus behind an outbreak that has alarmed students, patients and gym-goers across the region.
Lawmakers will look at whether the state should take additional steps in January, predicted Del. Dan K. Morhaim (D-Dist.11) of Owings Mills, an emergency room physician.
But hospital workers are keenly aware of the aggressive, sometimes fatal, nature of the organism that school and health officials said this week has infected dozens of students in Maryland and Virginia, Morhaim said.
Health care workers, who are at high risk, ‘‘are highly motivated to do the right thing,” Morhaim said, adding that MRSA is a ‘‘very serious problem [that] has been around for years” and more education and vigilance are needed.
But prescribing infection control procedures in state law would be the wrong approach, Morhaim said.
‘‘Yesterday’s dogma can be today’s fallacy,” and laws take more time to change than hospital or nursing home practices, Morhaim said.
Sen. Andrew P. Harris (R-Dist. 7) of Cockeysville, an anesthesiologist, agreed.
Eradicating antibiotic-resistant pathogens is likely to require a broad approach and federal action, he said.
‘‘We could pass a state law, but it [the bacteria] crosses state borders,” Harris said.
A Maryland Health Care Commission panel is considering whether to require hospitals to test intensive care patients for MRSA and other bloodstream infections and to report those infection rates to the state.
The panel is expected to make recommendations in early November, said Pam Barclay, the commission’s hospital services director.
Meanwhile, the state Office of Health Care Quality is developing new regulations for infection control programs and expects to publish them for public comment in January, said Maryland Health Secretary John M. Colmers, who favors more transparency and reporting rates.
The health department is also training hospital and nursing home workers how to control the spread of such germs and is collaborating with the state-funded Maryland Patient Safety Center to share best practices among hospitals and nursing homes.
Hospitals have attacked the problem with a ‘‘full court press” for the past two years, said Maryland Hospital Association spokeswoman Nancy Fiedler.
Requiring clergy to put new disposable covers on their religious texts each time they visit a hospital room is just one example of the attention and reach of some hospitals’ measures.
Other efforts to consider include reducing unnecessary prescriptions for antibiotics by doctors and cutting the use of antibiotics in meat and poultry, Morhaim said.
But reducing antibiotic use in food production has to be weighed against its advantages, including the production of affordable, nutritious food, Harris warned.
Firsthand reports about poor health care in prisons also indicate that released inmates may carry MRSA, Morhaim said.
Meanwhile, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals is developing two products to fight staph infections at its research and development plant in Rockville.
The company moved its StaphVax vaccine through clinical trials, but investors’ hopes were dashed when a second final (phase 3) trial failed to meet its marks for federal approval two years ago. After an internal analysis, Nabi put the project on hold and is considering testing a new version with broader protections. The second product, also on hold, is Altastaph, an antibody designed to treat active staph infections. It is also an option for patients with weakened immune systems.
Staff Writer Steve Berberich contributed to this report.
