World MRSA Day Momentum Builds In The US And The UK

Main Category: MRSA / Drug Resistance
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 23 Jun 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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MRSA Survivors Network, the Chicago-based nonprofit and the official organization that launched World MRSA Day earlier this year is building momentum in the US, the UK and worldwide in its humanitarian grass-roots effort to raise awareness of the MRSA epidemic.

"As governments and world agencies continue to put their focus on swine flu and prepare to spend billions of dollars on it as they did with Avian flu; the true epidemic/pandemic, MRSA continues to be virtually ignored", states Jeanine Thomas, president of MRSA Survivors Network and the National Spokesperson for MRSA. "It is unconscionable what has been allowed to happen and MRSA has been swept under the carpet in healthcare facilities for decades and the purpose of World MRSA Day is to raise awareness."

Healthcare industry companies are stepping up and sponsoring World MRSA Day in the US and in the UK to raise awareness and save lives. In the U.S.; 3M, Tec Labs, Cepheid, Pfizer and others have lent their support and all have become true heroes in this movement to save lives.

The inaugural pre-launch kick-off event in the U.S. will be held Oct. 1st at Loyola University in Chicago with an international press conference, followed by the event. MRSA Action UK, who shares and alliance with MRSA Survivors Network are planning their event for Oct. 2nd. MRSA activists are organizing and holding events in their communities on Oct. 2nd and throughout October, MRSA Awareness Month. Activists can list their event on the official site- www.worldmrsaday.org.

MRSA Survivors Network and fellow activists are pushing for immediate action, legislation, funding, more stringent and pro-active infection control measures and enforcement by the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and governments to stop the massive loss of life and human suffering from preventable infections. World MRSA Day is embracing all survivors and their families who have suffered or lost a loved one from any multi-drug resistant infection.

Jeanine Thomas of MRSA Survivors Network was the first advocate in the U.S. to raise the alarm about MRSA and other healthcare-acquired infections and began her crusade in 2003. Ms. Thomas is a survivor of MRSA, sepsis, osteomyelitis and C. Diff and became critically ill and nearly died from the results of ankle surgery. She now lives with chronic MRSA infections.

Source
MRSA Survivors Network