MRSA super bug tamed at Louisville VA hospital; others urged to follow example

Before 2007, the potentially deadly super bug MRSA stalked patients at the Louisville Veterans Affairs Medical Center — with infection rates 20 times higher than they are today. That was before the VA began screening every patient admitted or moved from one unit to another, to see if they unknowingly carried the antibiotic-resistant and highly contagious bacteria, and then, if they found it, taking extra care to ensure it wouldn't spread. The result? MRSA infections have fallen to 0.09 infections per 1,000 "bed days of care," or days patients stay in a bed, compared with 1.89 infections per 1,000 in 2008.