A recent study published in Infection Control Hospital Epidemiology exposes alarming data on how hospitals are allowing antibiotic-resistant germs, also called superbugs, to enter local communities, Specifically on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

The study, led by Dr Aaron Miller of the University of Iowa, highlights the hidden risks associated with MRSA transmission and emphasises the necessity for hospital discharge to avoid introducing the superbug into their homes.

Although they remain asymptomatic, people often acquire MRSA during hospitalisation stays and pass it on to their family members, notes Dr Miller. This result emphasises the important role hospitals play in the community spread of MRSA, particularly in areas with low healthcare resources, such as South Asia.

The study, which examined a vast database of insurance claims involving 158 million Americans, discovered that hospitals are unintentionally increasing the MRSA risk by discharging asymptomatic carriers.

Particularly in low-resource regions like South Asia, MRSA infections, known for their resistance to conventional treatments, seriously compromise healthcare systems. The study's analysis of 424,512 MRSA cases revealed that family members of recently hospitalised patients are more likely to become infected. According to the study, 4,724 cases included probable MRSA transfer from a relative with the infection to a hospitalised family member. Unbelievably, 8,064 likely MRSA transmissions happened without a documented MRSA diagnosis, therefore confounding containment measures.

The study claims that the length of the patient's hospital stay affects the probability of MRSA transmission in the home. For instance, a one- to three-day hospital stay increases the relative's MRSA risk by 34%. Four to 10-day stays raise the risk by 49%; stays longer than ten days raise it by 70% to 80%. These results underline the urgent necessity for hospitals to enhance their infection control strategies, especially at the patient discharge point.

Even in the absence of symptoms, Dr Miller prefers closer infection control policies involving MRSA colonisation tests. Tracking MRSA colonisation and infections among hospital patients and their family contacts will, as he underlines are very important for lowering transmission.

Strict adherence to hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, and standard interventions to lower staphylococcal colonisation will help to prevent the dissemination of resistant bacteria, says Dr Thomas Talbot, President of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). In India, where MRSA is already quite common, the consequences for healthcare are significant.

In India, where MRSA is already quite common, the consequences for healthcare are significant, as there is a common practice of relatives stationing themselves in close proximity to hospitalised patients, experts warn.  

Restricted access to current medical treatment, combined with the general presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria like MRSA could lead to more severe health consequences, longer hospital stays, and higher death rates.