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MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. It is also better known and referred to as the 'superbug.' It has been around since 1961 despite popular belief. It was only in the early 90's that it spread quite dramatically and caused health problems and even death to many people in the UK. According to the UK office for National Statistics, they sadly reported 1,629 MRSA-related deaths in England and Wales during 2005.

The virus can be easily spread by merely being in contact with someone who has it, but it can also be spread through contact with towels, sheets, clothes, dressings or other objects. The MRSA virus can also survive on objects and surfaces such as door handles, sinks, floors and cleaning equipment. You can diagnose MRSA through blood and urine tests

The baceria is called Staphylococcus Aureus and apparently 1 in 3 of us carries it on the surface of our skin or in our nose. This generally causes no harm if the carrier is healthy; however if a carrier comes into contact with a vulnerable patient, i.e. someone with lowered immune system, a person with open wounds or someone who has just had surgery the they can pass the infection onto these people.

If the bacteria Staphylococcus Aureus gets into your body through a break in your skin it can cause infections such as boils, abscesses, or impetigo. If the bacteria gets inside into your bloodstream it can cause more serious infections such as the blood poisoning, septic shock, severe joint problems, bone marrow infection, internal abscesses anywhere within the body, inflammation of the tissues that surround the brain and spinal cord, lung infection or infection of the heart lining.

Trying to prevent the spread of MRSA is a tricky business. The measures to prevent the spread of organisms from one person to another are called isolation or infection control. The most important type of isolation is called contact isolation where everyone in contact of the MRSA sufferer has to wash their hands after touching the patient or anything to do with the patient. If there are a number of patients infected with MRSA then moving them to an isolation unit is the safest way to minimise the spread.

Unfortunately more and more people are going into hospital for minor illnesses or ailments only to catch MRSA and end up far sicker than previously. It is worth pursuing a compensation claim if this happens to you as you shouldn't have caught this virus and suffered in this way. You are well within your rights to make a claim for compensation even though it can be difficult to prove clinical negligence. A professional lawyer should be enlisted to help you. There is no need to worry about lawyers fees as there is the 'no win no fee' agreement that allows anyone to take on a compensation claim. The lawyer will be working for free and only in the event of the winning case will the lawyers fees be paid via the insurance of the losing party. If the case is lost there is insurance to cover fees.