What Is MRSA?
MRSA is a bacterial infection that is resistant to many common antibiotics, which makes it difficult to treat. A relatively new “superbug,” MRSA (or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), can lead to severe conditions such as pneumonia and bloodstream infections, and—in extreme cases—can lead to death.
Outbreaks of MRSA were first recorded in 1968 Western Europe and Australia, almost 10 years after Methicillin (a type of penicillin) was licensed in England. Once confined mainly to hospitals and nursing homes, outbreaks of MRSA among the general public began in the mid-1990s. MRSA first appeared in 1987 in the Philippines, where it continues to be a health concern today.