Expert warns against abuse of antibiotic creams

Blatant abuse of antibiotic creams must stop if Malta is to keep the superbug - MRSA - at manageable levels, according to infection control consultant Michael Borg.

Dr Borg explained that MRSA - short for methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus - is ordinarily found in young adults and manifests itself with a skin infection that spreads out, forming an abscess under the skin.

"People need to be aware of this and instead of swathing antibiotic creams over such infections, have them seen by a professional," he emphasised.

Antibiotic creams contain a low dose of antibiotic content which the body becomes accustomed to.

The antibiotic-resistant MRSA bug is usually associated with hospital admissions, but certain countries were seeing an increase in community MRSA, where people catch the virus without having been admitted to hospital.

MRSA is a drug-resistant form of a very common virus which can cause wound infections, among other things. More than 250 cases of MRSA were registered here in the first six months of the year, Dr Borg said.

Last month, three cases of MRSA at St Luke's Hospital's Fairyland Ward led to non-urgent operations being cancelled. However, things have returned to normal, Fairyland's consultant paediatric surgeon Chris Fearne said.

Non-urgent cases admitted to Fairyland are being screened for MRSA.

Together with Dr Borg and microbiologist Paul Cuschieri, Mr Faerne is carrying out a study to find how many children are MRSA carriers.

"We are seeing between eight and 10 outpatient children a week, so that by the end of the year we can compile the data," he said.

He stressed that being a carrier is not a risk to others because a healthy body normally destroys MRSA. But people who are ill or whose immune system is weak might have problems.