The 4th Annual World MRSA Day Kickoff Event will be held Sept. 29, 2012 at the Hilton Garden Inn Chicago/Oak Brook. Dr. William R. Jarvis of Jason and Jarvis Associates, Ltd – a world-renowned MRSA and ID specialist will be Keynote Speaker. The event begins at 10:30am with a Remembrance Ceremony for all of those who have been lost to MRSA and the main event starts at 10:45am. Emcee is Mr. Rob Stafford, news anchor for NBC 5 Chicago. Leading MRSA experts will present and MRSA survivors and family members will share their stories. An event not to be missed!

Corporate Sponsors – Pfizer and media sponsor NBC5 Chicago. Contact us to see how your company can become a sponsor and help us raise awareness for the MRSA epidemic. info@worldMRSAday.org Tel: 630 325-4354

“The fact that more Americans (>19,000) die every year from invasive MRSA infections, (according to the Centers for Disease Control – CDC) than from HIV/AIDS every year should be a wake-up call for immediate action, MRSA is a preventable disease,” states Jeanine Thomas, founder of MRSA Survivors Network.

MRSA Survivors Network has produced a public service announcement (PSA) with Mr. Rob Stafford of NBC Chicago and will air on NBC Chicago stations in April and viewed on MRSA Survivors Network’s YouTube channel and website with its other PSA’s and 3 minute video. An International MRSA Testing Week poster along with a new brochure for the public, “Living with MRSA” can be downloaded at http://www.MRSAsurvivors.org. 2012 corporate sponsor – Roche.

Recent data show that the treatment of MRSA bacteremia caused by strains of MRSA with slightly lower susceptibility to vancomycin (MIC>1 ugm/ml), which are increasing frequently, are associated with higher morbidity, mortality and treatment failures. This is reinforced by recent multi-center studies at both the Veteran’s Administration (150 hospitals) and throughout the HCA system that have yet again documented that through implementation of ADI, MRSA rates can dramatically reduce, not just in intensive care units, but hospital-wide. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (including the CDC) should mandate ADI. If we are to really believe in patient safety, all healthcare facilities worldwide with endemic MRSA should fully implement ADI as Northern European countries have done successfully; some for decades.

“It’s up to all of us to help stop the spread of MRSA worldwide in humans, animals, in the environment and in our food supply,” says Jeanine Thomas. “So many people have died from this preventable disease or have become permanently disabled, bankrupt and even homeless – entire families have been shattered.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) must finally acknowledge the MRSA epidemic and set up a worldwide MRSA surveillance and reporting system. Such a system would facilitate the collection of data on MRSA infections and colonization with a public release of such data on a designated website. This would illustrate the true magnitude of the MRSA epidemic and public health crisis worldwide and also facilitate the implementation of active detection and isolation (ADI).

World MRSA Day, October 2 and World MRSA Awareness Month, October

The fourth annual World MRSA Day Kickoff Event and Global MRSA Summit will be held Saturday, September 29, 2012 inChicago. Dr. William R. Jarvis is the recipient of the “Humanitarian Award” and also is Keynote Speaker. Mr. Rob Stafford, evening news anchor for NBC Chicago is the emcee.

Sponsors: Pfizer and media sponsor NBC5 Chicago.

Other events and programs will be held in other U.S. cities, the U.K. and other countries throughout the month of October.

MRSA Survivors Network was the first patient advocacy organization in 2003 to raise the alarm concerning MRSA and healthcare-acquired infections (HAI’s) in the United States and operates the only MRSA Crisis Hotline (630 325-4354). U.S. Rep. Biggert (IL) has introduced a resolution (H. Res. 603) in the U.S. House of Representatives to designate World MRSA Day and Int’l MRSA Testing Week. Resolutions also passed this year in the Illinois General Assembly.

Read full article: http://ewatch.prnewswire.com/rs/display.jsp?a=55437-1150188049-202402982&key=D|192962|S|0|x|1150188049

Downloadable posters available at www.MRSAsurvivors.org. Help us raise awareness!

“MRSA and antimicrobial resistance needs to be a top political priority worldwide,” states Jeanine Thomas Founder of MRSA Survivors Network.

MRSA Survivors Network has produced a public service announcement (PSA) with Mr. Rob Stafford of NBC Chicago and will air on NBC Chicago stations in March and viewed on MRSA Survivors Network’s YouTube channel and website. An International MRSA Testing Week poster along with a new brochure for the public, “Living with MRSA” can be downloaded at http://www.MRSAsurvivors.org. 2012 corporate sponsor – Roche.

The 2012 global theme for International MRSA Testing Week and World MRSA Day is ‘The MRSA Epidemic – A Call to Action’which brings critical attention to the global public health crisis. MRSA Survivors Network and MRSA Action UK urgently pleas for the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations (UN), the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to finally recognize the MRSA epidemic and set up a worldwide MRSA surveillance and reporting system. Such a system would facilitate the collection of data on MRSA infections and colonization with a public release of such data on a designated website. This would illustrate the true magnitude of the MRSA epidemic worldwide and facilitate the implementation of active detection and isolation (ADI) – specifically active screening for MRSA in high-risk patients or universal testing to control MRSA in healthcare facilities worldwide.

Derek Butler, Chairman of MRSA Action UK says, “The only requisite for bacteria to spread is that good people do nothing.”

Recent multi-center studies (the VA study published in the New England Journal of Medicine) at the Veteran’s Administration (150 hospitals) and throughout the HCA system have yet again documented that through implementation of ADI, MRSA rates can dramatically reduce, not just in intensive care units, but hospital-wide. If we are to really believe in patient safety, all healthcare facilities with endemic MRSA should fully implement ADI. In the era of paying for performance, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (including the CDC) should be mandating that if ADI works to prevent and control MRSA in 150 VA hospitals and in many Northern European countries (some for decades), that all U.S. hospitals should implement the same program, reducing MRSA rates, improving patient safety and most importantly, saving lives. It is unclear why the CDC continues to not strongly recommend ADI and why a broad public awareness campaign for MRSA has not been implemented.

“In the United States MRSA victims are losing their jobs, homes, becoming permanently disabled and many do not have health insurance - we need federal and state social services to help MRSA patients,” says Jeanine Thomas whose organization operates the only MRSA crisis hotline in the United States.

MRSA Action UK have successfully campaigned for many years to have a universal screening program implemented for all elective and emergency admissions entering their healthcare system for MRSA and this has, as part of a comprehensive infection control system brought infections such as MRSA down dramatically. The key to the success of the universal screening program is that all hospitals within the UK have, and are using the same screening program.

The UK has not stopped there however, they now routinely screen for other bacteria such as MSSA and E-coli and they publish weekly infection rates in hospitals throughout England pushing back the boundaries in an open approach to highlight success and failures in controlling bacteria. The universal screening program forms part of a more comprehensive infection control system that has brought success to reducing infection rates throughout the UK.

World MRSA Day, October 2 and World MRSA Awareness Month, October

The fourth annual World MRSA Day Kickoff Event will be held Saturday, September 29, 2012 in Chicago with NBC Chicago as media sponsor and Mr. Rob Stafford, evening news anchor as emcee. Dr. William R. Jarvis is the recipient of the “Humanitarian Award.”  Other events and programs will be held in other U.S. cities and in the U.K. throughout the month of October.

MRSA Survivors Network, founded in 2003 was the first patient advocate to raise the alarm concerning MRSA and healthcare-acquired infections (HAI’s) in the United States. A U.S. Senate resolution (S.R. 301) designating World MRSA Day passed in 2009 and a resolution by U.S. Rep. Biggert that includes International MRSA Testing Week is being introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

For information on how you can become a corporate sponsor for International MRSA Testing Week or World MRSA Day-October 2, donate, volunteer or get involved, contact us at: 630 325-4354, www.MRSAsurvivors.org, Twitter-www.Twitter.com/MRSAsurvivors and on Facebook – www.Facebook.com/MRSASurvivorsNetwork.

SOURCE MRSA Survivors Network

Maddie Reimer died at 7 weeks old from MRSA, every person is at risk for a MRSA infection.
You Can Make a Difference!!! MRSA Survivors Network was the first patient advocacy organization in the U.S. to raise the alarm about MRSA and healthcare-acquired infections. We operate the only MRSA Crisis Hotline (630 325-4354) and Bandage Care Program to help MRSA victims, families and caregivers. Your generous donation helps us expand our mission and save more lives. We accept credit cards and checks.

May 2012 bring a major change – culture shift in the healthcare industry worldwide with healthcare facilities realizing that they must screen, isolate and decolonize patients to eradicate MRSA. We commend the doctors and healthcare facilities who are implementing ADI – active detection and isolation and wish that all facilties worldwide would do so. We also wish that all facilities would report their MRSA infection and colonization rates to state web sites and the WHO to set up a MRSA surveillance and reporting system globally with data posted on their web site – we need true tranparency. We are at epidemic levels in many countries and we need everyone working together for patient safety to save lives.  www.MRSAsurvivors.org  www.worldMRSAday.org

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) more Americans (nearly 20,000) die of invasive MRSA infections every year, more than from HIV/AIDS, but many believe that the true number is over 100,000 deaths occurring  from MRSA every year in the United States.

“MRSA, healthcare-acquired infections (HAI’s) and antimicrobial resistance must become a top political priority worldwide,” states Jeanine Thomas. “In the United States many MRSA victims are becoming permanently disabled, bankrupt and homeless; it is so tragic because it is preventable.”

More than 200 studies support the need for active detection and isolation (ADI) to control MRSA along with decolonizing MRSA positive patients. Why does the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still not strongly recommend this approach in their HICPAC CDC guidelines in controlling multi drug-resistant organisms (MDRO’s) while another U.S. federal agency – the VA Health Systems screens all of their patients since 2008? The CDC came out recently with a press release stating that MRSA infection rates have dropped by 18%, but no data was included to substantiate their claim. Why the lack of transparency?

While over one-third of U.S. hospitals currently (that includes all of the VA healthcare facilities)  screen patients for MRSA, every single healthcare facility should implement active detection and isolation (ADI) to reduce MRSA infection rates and save lives.  Healthcare facilities must implement a bundled-comprehensive approach to controlling MRSA colonization and infections; active detection and isolation, decolonization of carriers (MRSA positive patients), decontamination of frequently touched surfaces, strict adherence to hand hygiene and good stewardship/prudent use of antibiotics

“Too many lives are lost from preventable MRSA infections worldwide,” states Jeanine Thomas, founder of MRSA Survivors Network. “Antimicrobial resistance will continue to increase if we do not work hard to prevent MRSA and other infections such asC. difficile and VRE.”

To assist healthcare facilities and community organizations to raise awareness during International MRSA Testing Week, April 1-7th, MRSA Survivors Network is creating downloadable posters, web banners, a brochure and e-card which will be available on the MRSA Survivors Network website. A 15 second Public Service Announcement (PSA) with Mr. Rob Stafford, anchor for NBC Chicago evening news and contributing correspondent with Dateline NBC has been produced and can be seen on the MRSA Survivors Network website and YouTube channel - http://youtu.be/qA6OFlzsCwI .

MRSA Survivors Network operates the only MRSA Crisis Hotline in the United States (630 325-4354) for MRSA victims, their families and caregivers. MSN also provides wound care items directly to disadvantaged MRSA surgical site infection patients.

MRSA Survivors Network was the first patient/consumer nonprofit organization in the U.S. to raise the alarm about MRSA and healthcare-acquired infections beginning in 2002 and founded World MRSA Day, October 2 and MRSA Awareness Month, October in 2009 to raise awareness to the worldwide MRSA epidemic. Jeanine Thomas, founder, national spokesperson and conference speaker is a survivor of MRSA sepsis and C. difficile.

For information on corporate or individual sponsorship opportunities for the International MRSA Testing Week campaign, to donate, volunteer or to have Jeanine Thomas to speak at your conference contact us at: Tel: 630 325-4354, email:jthomas@MRSAsurvivors.org www.MRSAsurvivors.org, www.worldMRSAday.org

Read Full Article: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/launch-of-international-mrsa-testing-week-awareness-campaign-134664893.html