CDC Reports 'Nightmare Bacteria' Found In Indiana

ACROSS INDIANA -- In about 11 percent of cases, people in close contact with patients also sometimes carried the superbugs even though they weren't sick, creating the risk of further spreading the bacteria.

Germs with unusual resistance include those that cannot be killed by all or most antibiotics, are uncommon in a geographic area or the U.S. or have specific genes that allow them to spread their resistance to other germs, according to the CDC.

A CDC containment strategy to stop the spread of "nightmare bacteria" calls for rapid identification, infection control assessments, testing patients without symptoms who may carry and spread the germ and continued infection control assessments until spread is stopped. The study said health departments using the approach have conducted infection control assessments and colonization screenings within 48 hours of finding unusual resistance and have reported no further transmission during follow-up over several weeks.

"It's reassuring to see that state and local experts, using our containment strategy, identified and stopped these resistant bacteria before they had the opportunity to spread," Schuchat said.

How can the public help stem the spread of nightmare bacteria? The CDC offers these suggestions:

• Tell your doctors if you recently had health care in another country.
• Talk with your doctors about preventing infections, taking care of chronic conditions to help avoid them, and getting vaccines to prevent them.
• Wash your hands regularly and keep cuts clean until healed.

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