Oct 17, 2007
Things That Make You Want To Drink Gin Straight From The Cat Bowl.
You are looking at Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and according to today’s study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, deaths associated with these infections may exceed those caused by AIDS.
In the past this bacteria often produced mild skin infections easily treated with penicillin. But because antibiotics have become over-prescribed for every little thing and its hangnail, the new aggressive flesh-eating blood-poisoning strain of MRSA often doesn’t respond to such treatment.
And now these infections aren’t just centralized in hospitals, but are spreading throughout gym locker rooms and prisons and nursing homes and daycare facilities—especially in poor urban areas.
Why? Because healthy people are often the carriers of this bacteria. On their skin. Or. In. Their. Noses.
Right. This Public Service Announcement brought to you by Forget It Bossy Is Putting Herself Promptly To Bed.
Eiwwwwwwwwwww. Yet another reason to carry Lysol wherever I go. You can never prescribe too much Lysol.
So I shouldn’t forage in anyone else’s nose without proper safety precautions?
See, this is why when I tell a ped or doc I’d rather NOT have the antibiotic unless it is absolutely necessary, they fall down on their knees, kiss my feet and call me Queen.
Thanks. Pass the bottle.
I don’t use antibacterial soaps or other stuff. I, personally, think that by overprotecting ourselves from all germs make us super susceptible to every germ.
Having said that, I do carry Lysol wipes in my purse to wipe down the grocery carts. That is about the only thing that I will antibacterial.
I avoid the antibiotics, too. And luckily, I have found a pediatrician who feels the same way.
But I totally wipe down the grocery cart.
See, I knew I had a really good reason for never leaving the house.
Thank you. I will refrain from getting out of the house and having people in the house. I won’t sleep tonight.
But the gin will kill it, right? Right?
Ew.
I am finally vindicated for never washing the pacifiers.
The use of Lysol-type products and anti-bacterial soaps probably contribute to the problem just like over-prescribed antibiotics. I’m guessing this isn’t the first bacteria that has evolved because of our desire for a spotless environment, it’s just the first one to really catch our attention. Normal soap and hot water cleans hands well after grocery shopping. Vodka cleanses the inside.
Today I officially stop eating my boogers.
Okay. That totally scares the sh*t out of me. I may become a compulsive germaphobe now.
MRSA is pretty scarry, my son had a pimple like spot appear on his waistline last August. I didn’t think anything of it. He went out of town with my husband, came back two days later with fever, vomiting, more red bumps. Turns out it was staph and the MRSA staph. And apparently staph likes to grow in cool, dark, damp areas. Since it was summer and he wore diapers, I think this might have helped it grow on his waistline. LUCKILY his was treatable by antibiotics. It took 4 weeks for it to completely heal and that was 4 weeks that he was unable to go to school, which meant 4 weeks of my husband and I taking off work. It was hell. Moral of the story, wash your hands, and make hand sanitizer your new best friend!
and the cure is WHAT, exactly?
because I would like to leave my house sometime soon
and now I am scared
It’s time to invest in that plastic bubble I’ve always wanted.
Oh, sorry Bossy, guess that means . . oh, never mind, the thought wasn’t that clever anyway.
“Nobody move or I’ll sneeze all over you!”
BTW, Lysol and anti-bacterial soaps are just adding to the problem since the bacteria is evolving to survive.
Oh, wait, there is no such thing as evolution, so spray all you want.
Back when my kids were in grade school, I mentioned to the principal a study that showed children whose school day included several scheduled handwashing sessions (at the beginning of the day, before lunch, after recess and before going home) were less likely to catch colds and infections. She just looked at me and smiled politely. Fortunately, my kids are all grown up and I no longer have to beat my head against that particular wall, but if I could just say this one more time to anyone who will listen: HANDWASHING IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT MEANS OF PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF INFECTION. Thank you.
We just need to develop some new super penicillin to fight those evil commie super germs. And maybe some kind of space station that will blast them from geosynchronous orbit.
Maybe if we accelerate global warming all the extra radiation or what-have-you will zap it.
Thankfully I’m not in contact with people who are in gym locker rooms, nursing homes, prisions or day cares. But just in case I’ll be searching for bubbles to put my family in.
have you nothing to say about COLBERT FOR PRESIDENT???
oh the joys. i am happy today.
except for the fact that i turned over every shred of confidential banking/personal info over to a FRAUDULENT EMAIL claiming to be FUCKING PAYPAL.
clearly i have been out of the loop on this whole scam. perhaps this became all the rage when we were out of the country?
ARGH.
maybe its time to move to south carolina.
There are lots of things (excuses?) that make me wanna drink gin from the cat’s bowl… but now I’m wondering if the cat might too be a carrier of this scourge. Prudence would suggest it might be safer to drink the gin straight out of its lovely sapphire-blue bottle… or in a glass with ice, a twist of lime and a splash of Schweppes tonic.
How I plan to deal with this new information:
1. Stay out of gym locker rooms, prisons, nursing homes and daycare facilities. Well, maybe not prisons.
2. Drink more gin. The cats will just have to deal.
3. Avoid those scary super germ-promoting antibacterial wipes, and just keep wiping my nose on grocery carts.
Thank you, bossy, for the heads up.
I am plugging my ears and singing “la la la la la”. I don’t want to know, I don’t want to know.
So, I shouldn’t let my child lick the walls of public restrooms?
(I second “ew”.)
Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop being a Christian Scientist. You never hear about bugs that develop a prayer-resistant strain! Pretty soon, that’s all we’ll have left…
hey bossy… what happened to dooce???
I GOT THAT ONCE!!!! I’m really allergic to Mary Kay and I got Impetigo on my face!!!!! It took about 2 months to go away! And it spread like wildfire!
Gross! (I CAN’T STOP USING EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!)
OK. Between trying not to buy things from China, not using hazardous chemicals to clean my home, and worrying about the whole paper/plastic thing, I just don’t have room for this in my head, too. But, OH, lookie! It squeezed itself in. Thanks!
I am moving into a bubble. Now pass that cat bowl full of gin over here!
This is EXACTLY why I stay out of prisons. And people’s noses.
I think the real way to solve this problem is to stop being so scared of germs, stop using anti-bacterial everything that actually aids in creating super bugs…and well, eat more boogers…this will build up your resistance.
One of our hospital trusts has just introduced a policy where staff must clock in and out by pressing their palm against a scanner. Of *course* that won’t spread infection!
I’msuddenly feeling quite itchy.
Aha, so THAT’s what that creeping carpet is on the back of my throat…
I’m building my bubble. TODAY.
Ewww ewww ewwww….
I use the anti-bac wipes they supply at the grocery store.
Ya just never know!
Jeez, this post made me not want to touch my own keyboard without gloves on.
Handwashing, most certainly.
It helps to keep your immune system in good shape with good diet, exercise, and SLEEP!
Woo if that doesn’t make someone stop picking their nose i don’t know what will.
But it looks so cute in plush form: http://www.giantmicrobes.com/us/products/flesheating.html
can I live in a bubble, please?
Is it okay if I make mine vodka from the dog’s bowl?
Rife in Britain! How are the eyes?
Cheers
Forget gym locker rooms, what about the weight room?! I don’t think anything is ever clean in there. I’m actually surprised that the Y I belong to wasn’t specifically mentioned in the study.
I knew I was avoiding exercise and childbirth for a good reason. Now if I can just contain my homicidal tendencies and cease aging immediately I should be golden!
Seriously, I had to go to a hospital today for a totally non-medical work-related reason right after listening to a story on NPR about how only 47% of hospital staff wash their hands regularly. So yeah, I was the weird chick opening doors with my hip/elbow/buttcheek, shaking hands reluctantly and then desperately inquiring where perhaps might I find the grossly-underused handwashing sink and/or sanitizing gel dispenser.
Gaaahhh!
LAughter is a good medicine and laugh I did at the cat bowl cocktail.
You are sickedly funny Bossy Girl!
Honestly DR Freud I meant WICKEDLY not sick o ly….
The cat bowl cocktail really delievers a punch.
Gin gives me a bad hangover.
Bossy, you need to give WARNINGS on posts like this. Us hypochondriacs don’t need to know such information. We don’t want to know about super germs morphing into ever-stronger little beasts carrying lethal weapons!
(excuse me a sec, I’m hyperventilating)
Hoo boy. I think I’m going to need a lot more than gin to get over this one.
Better the cat bowl than a clear plastic bottle.
And my hubby thinks I’m paranoid for wanting to put the boy in a bubble.
And my hubby thinks I’m paranoid for wanting to put the boy in a bubble.
I work at a vet clinic and we are currently trying to treat a dog with MRSA. Unfortunately, the dog’s entire human family has it now and are having to find some sort of treatment.
I will never give up the gym. They will have to carry my staph-riddled body out on a stretcher.
my aunt died from that, it was the saddest moment of my life
Between this and there only being 90 days of water supply left in my town I think THE END IS NEAR.
I am seriously freaked out, actually.
GROSS. SO now I am confused. Are my kids better off dirty or clean?
I totally had this- but they stuck a fifteen foot long q tip up my nose to see if I was a carrier- I wasn’t. Nice to know it wasn’t MY boogers… gross to think it was someone elses.
my cousin just died from this, in pneumonia form. she left two children behind. this is really bad stuff.
and bossy, why did google do this to me?
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