As Drug-Resistant Strains Of Staph Infection Emerge In Schools, Brown & Hatch Announce Legislation To Address Drug Resistance

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As Drug-Resistant Strains Of Staph Infection Emerge In Schools, Brown & Hatch Announce Legislation To Address Drug Resistance

As drug-resistant strains of staph infection emerge in schools nationwide, U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) today announced new legislation to address drug-resistant infections. The Brown-Hatch bill, which will be introduced this week, would strengthen surveillance, data collection, and research activities to reduce the inappropriate use of antibiotics, develop and test new interventions to limit the spread of resistant organisms, and coordinate the federal government's activities to combat antibiotic resistance.

"Drug resistant infections are a serious threat that the health community needs to address quickly," said Senator Brown. "It is downright scary that diseases once curable are suddenly deadly again. Recent research suggests more people die of MRSA then AIDS - and these deaths are preventable. We need to invest now in research and coordination efforts to safeguard against future outbreaks."

"Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that resistant strains of infections have spread rapidly," Senator Hatch said. "In Salt Lake City, the number of children with MRSA infections at the Primary Children's Medical Center has increased by almost 20 fold since 1989! This alarming trend continues to grow and treatment options are sorely lacking."

The methicillin-Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a strain of staph infection that is resistant to penicillin and other related antibiotics. While MRSA was previously thought to be limited to hospitals, it is now found throughout schools and communities. Over the past month, several school districts in Ohio had staph infection outbreaks, forcing students to be sent home early, the closing of weight rooms, and the need to have professional cleaners disinfect the premises. Nationally, a school system in Virginia closed after the death of an otherwise healthy 17-year-old, and just last week, a Brooklyn seventh grader also died from a MRSA infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that more than 90,000 Americans could get the deadly strain of staph infection each year.

The Brown-Hatch legislation, Strategies To Address Antimicrobial Resistance (STAAR) Act, would improve federal leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by establishing an Office of Antimicrobial Resistance (OAR) to coordinate the activities of agencies involved in drug resistance including the CDC, National Institutes of Health, Federal Drug Administration, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and other federal agencies. Specifically, the OAR would solicit outside expertise, collect data on antibiotic use, and improve current surveillance efforts. In addition, the bill would call for a federal strategic research plan for drug resistance.

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