Author Topic: Deaths from MRSA going up EXPONENTIALLY (Read 1168 times)

Matthew · « **on:** November 04, 2007, 08:07:31 PM »

Excerpt from The Mogambo Guru

...Paul Harder, who reports that he has looked into the number of deaths attributed to Methicillin-resistant Staphlococcus aureus in the USA, and finds that "MRSA deaths are increasing EXPONENTIALLY!!!"

Note the use of all capitals, and the three exclamation points, which seems entirely apropos since MRSA has evolved from ordinary staph germ into a deadly microscopic murderer that can't be killed with antibiotics, and practically nothing can stop it from killing you by, for example, eating your flesh.

He admits that the data is murky, but "as best as I can gather" he says, the trend is:

2007 90,000 +
2006 13,000
2005 3807
2004 1629
2003 955
2002 487
2001 229
2000 201
1999 155

Dulcamara · « **Reply #1 on:** November 04, 2007, 10:40:14 PM »

What about the kids at all these schools who are getting it, and being sent back to school on antibiotics?

It sounds from the news reports like there is a treatment for it, and some of the kids who have had it recently are already back in school.

lthngsbrtnbtfl · « **Reply #2 on:** November 05, 2007, 10:40:24 AM »

Matthew,

I googled Paul Harder and can't determine who he is and what makes him an important authority. Also, with all due respect, I find that all caps and three exclamation points are generally not used by the type of persons who are taken seriously about matters like these. That doesn't mean that you have to be an expert or speak dispassionately, but you will be more believable.

I also am very sensitive to people not believing things just because the CDC or the FDA says different, so don't get me wrong. I'm just trying to temper this sensationalism.

It does appear that MRSA is here to stay, in a big way. Whether there is really an 85% death rate, as you mentioned in your last post about it, remains to be seen. As Dulcamara has already pointed out, it sounds like most people are taking antibiotics and recovering.

So Paul Harder may be right, but I'm still not going to panic. My trust is in God 100%.

Sincerely,
Lisa

erin is nice · « **Reply #3 on:** November 05, 2007, 10:55:39 AM »

None of the boys in my area who have caught this have died. One is still very sick, but he has survived for over a month, so they are fairly certain he will recover.
My cousin's baby had it last year, and he didn't even need to be hospitalized, and he made a full recovery.

Vandaler · « **Reply #4 on:** November 05, 2007, 11:00:48 AM »

Quote from: lthngsbrtnbtfl

Also, with all due respect, I find that all caps and three exclamation points are generally not used by the type of persons who are taken seriously about matters like these.

That is so true.

For instance, leading researchers in their fields with bullet proof credentials publish the result of sometimes years of research into a format that is noncompelling, professional and dispassionate.

Emotionalisms in Science reporting is a red flag.

Matthew · « **Reply #5 on:** November 05, 2007, 11:03:27 AM »

Paul Harder is a "Junior Mogambo Ranger" which means a reader of the Mogambo Guru's column. He merely looked into the numbers of deaths -- so he's not a professional who is expected to be "calm and scientific".

It's perfectly appropriate for a layman to get excited about the exponential growth of a hard (or impossible) to cure fatal disease.

Now that I've cleared that up -- did you NOTICE how exponential the growth is? The last 2 years of data has the number of deaths going up by 6X! That's exponential growth.

Matthew

lthngsbrtnbtfl · « **Reply #6 on:** November 05, 2007, 11:14:11 AM »

Agreed, Matthew. Please don't think I'm mocking you; I'm not. I agree that things like this can be quite frightening if we allow ourselves to get carried away. I am very susceptible to doing so, that is why I am making a concerted effort to stop.

I actually agree that Depression, War, Famine, Pestilence and many other nasties are going to hit us very hard, very soon. (My husband thinks I am mad to think so.) For a long time, I allowed my fear of that situation to nearly cripple me, trying to prepare myself.

I don't know if God will consider me and my family among his faithful; perhaps my confidence is misplaced. The times that are coming may be those that are spoken of in the Bible, where the living will envy the dead. In that case, maybe it were better to be among the dead. Either way, it's not my decision. I am leaving it up to God. I know that if He could lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He can save his faithful. (And his way of saving us could be by bringing us to him...)

So if I sound dispassionate, it's not because I don't care. I just am not going to worry about it, and I don't think you should either.

Just my 2 dollars...

God Bless,
Lisa

Vandaler · « **Reply #7 on:** November 05, 2007, 11:25:49 AM »

I didn't mean to mock this particular instance... take my message and sdigjasigf's as a good rule of thumb.

Yes, I see very well it's increasing exponentially, but I have yet to corroborate those numbers.

Matthew · « **Reply #8 on:** November 05, 2007, 11:31:13 AM »

Yes, I know that "another source" tends to verify a claim --

But in this case, since the person in questions stands to gain nothing by reporting these statistics, I am inclined to believe him.

Matthew

Vandaler · « **Reply #9 on:** November 05, 2007, 11:45:03 AM »

Quote from: ChantCd

But in this case, since the person in questions stands to gain nothing by reporting these statistics, I am inclined to believe him.

Hi,

Likely won't be able to look into this before tonight. A safer smell test to me, is rather to look if the writer stand anything to lose.

Nomas · « **Reply #10 on:** November 05, 2007, 12:04:29 PM »

It only kills the weak which is why it is so deadly in hospitals, and it can be destroyed by simple alcohol rubs, so the answer is simple, improved hygiene, mrsa lives on the skin and is only a problem when it gets in through a break in the skin, the fight against MRSA in Holland is been won simply by increased attention to hygiene. Also it is no0t resistant to all types of antibiotics.

The problem is that the antibiotics used to kill MRSA leave the body open to attack by Clostridium difficile because they kill the good bacteria that normaly prevents Clostridium difficile from being a problem.

The answer to both these dangerous bacteriums is improved hygiene which we are more than capable of implementing.

Vandaler · « **Reply #11 on:** November 05, 2007, 01:47:04 PM »

This is what I found.

For 2007, the 90, 000 + figure seem to come from this widely reported study published last month, in which, one of the most headlined item was that more than 90,000 get the potentially deadly "superbug" infections annually.

Notice the nuance. 90,000 according to the study is the amount of infections, not deaths.... So there seem to be a credibility problem around this fact alone. The estimated deaths hovers around 17,000.

I have no clue how the other numbers where obtained. There just doesn't seem to exist such precise statistics on the matter.

Added: The semantically identical figure of 90,000+ in the study and in the Mogambo guru text (both written within a 2 weeks interval) suggest to me that it was erroneously fished from there.

If anyone can prove this wrong, I'll send them 20 Ameros in the mail.

You'll also have my gratitude and a pat in the back.