Hospital Germs On Warpath

This is a condensed version of a recent story relayedy by Betsy McCaughey a former Lt. Governor of New York. Grace Voros an 85 year old woman that was enjoying life, watching her family grow when she took a minor fall. She went to the hospital for a simple x-ray, where tests confirmed she had no broken bones. But while there she picked up an infection no one in the family had ever heard of,"C. diff" and died. C.diff, short for clostridium difficile, is raging through hospitals, infecting hundreds of thousands of patients per year. The bacteria contaminate every surface, including bedrails, tables, nurses uniforms,privacy curtains, faucets and call buttons. When patients touch any of these surfaces and then eat without washing thier hands they ingest these bugs. Any person taking anti-biotics who ingests C.diff is in danger of developing severe diarrhea, dehydration, inflammation of the colon and then even death. Routine cleaning is not enough to protect you. Researchers at Case Western Reserve and the Cleveland VA Medical Center found that after routine cleaning at the hospital, 78 percent of surfaces were still contaminated. To kill the germ, (bug) you need to use bleach (lye soap). At Thomas Jefferson Medical Center in Philadelphia, three consecutive patients occupying the same room came down with C.diff. One died. Staffs at many hospitals are uninformed about what to do. One study reported that 39 percent of medical personnel didn't know that C.diff ( or any other disease ) could be spread on stethescopes, blood pressure cuffs and other equiptment. About two-thirds medical staff were unaware that they should wash thier hands with soap and water, because alcohol sanitizers don't kill this superbug. THE FOLLOWING STEPS ARE RECOMMENDED TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM C.diff. 1. Stay out of hospitals 2. If you must go to a hospital then... a. insist that everyone washes thier hands before touching you b.Wash your own hands before eating c. Do Not touch your lips d. Require everyone that comes near you to have some type of lye soap or bleach spray (or wipes) e. When go home from hospital (if you do), do not mix your clothes in the family wash regular laundry detergents don't kill C.diff If you decide to visit someone in the hospital ( highly illadvised ), be careful about eating in the cafeteria or anywhere else the staff goes...thier scrubs and uniforms could be covered in these invisible superbugs. Poor hospital hygiene and lax practices are putting us all at risk.