CHICAGO, Oct. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 'The MRSA Epidemic – A Call to Action' is this year's global theme. United States government MRSA infection rates are vastly inaccurate and under reported in the United States with a significant lack of transparency worldwide. "MRSA must immediately become a top political priority," states Jeanine R. Thomas, founder of MRSA Survivors Network and World MRSA Day.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has responded to the Ebola crisis in W. Africa, but has completely ignored the ongoing MRSA epidemic in the United States and in other countries for decades. The CDC's continued inaction in the United States has cost hundreds of thousands of lives in the U.S. alone and millions of Americans have become colonized and infected. Americans are suffering with infections with inadequate or no medical insurance and an increasing number of MRSA victims have lost their homes, jobs and become permanently disabled. MRSA infections are destroying and shattering entire families.
MRSA Survivors Network has been urgently pleading for many years to Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the CDC to declare MRSA an ongoing epidemic in the U.S. and go to Congress and ask for federal funds for awareness and educational programs for the public, as they did for H1N1 influenza. The CDC still does not routinely recommend active detection and isolation (ADI) for patients in U.S. health care facilities, which has greatly contributed to the MRSA epidemic along with continued lapses in infection control. The U.S. infectious disease trade associations have shown a continued lack of leadership, but the Veterans Administration (VA) have been world leaders by screening their patients for MRSA since 2007 and have dramatically reduced MRSA infection rates in their 153 facilities. More congressional hearings and investigative reporting is needed find out why the CDC has failed to act for decades, while other countries have controlled MRSA. Healthcare facilities that are not controlling MRSA and C. difficile are fueling antimicrobial resistance.
The World Health Organization (WHO) must finally set up a worldwide MRSA surveillance and reporting system. Such a system would facilitate the collection of data on MRSA infections and colonization with a public release of such data on a designated website. This would illustrate the true magnitude of the ongoing MRSA epidemic, public health crisis, and the global antimicrobial resistance health threat. The Ebola crisis has shown a light on the fact that many countries are not currently controlling pathogens in their healthcare facilities and therefore could not control an Ebola outbreak.
Streaming Live – October 2
MRSA Survivors Network's 6th Annual World MRSA Day & Global C. dificile Summit will be held October 2, 2014 in Hinsdale, IL and will be streaming live starting at 7:00pm CDT at: http://www.MRSAsurvivors.org.
Join us in the fight against MRSA and antibiotic resistance at the 6th Annual World MRSA Day and Global C. diff Summit on October 2, 2014 in Chicago. The annual event is organized by the Chicago-based nonprofit MRSA Survivors Network, the global leader in the fight against MRSA, healthcare-acquired infections and antimicrobial resistance.
Leading infectious disease experts, survivors, their families along with healthcare workers are coming from across the United States to join in this educational and uplifting annual event to raise awareness. The event is open to the public with free admission and parking – bring the entire family.
Sponsors: Gold level – Roche, Bronze –Theravance, PurThread, Xenex and media sponsor NBC5 Chicago.
Main Event
Master of Ceremony is Dr. Sandy Goldberg of NBC5 Chicago.
Keynote speaker is William R. Jarvis MD, president of Jason & Jarvis Associates, LLC – a world renowned MRSA expert and infectious disease specialist, formerly with the CDC. Other experts presenting are Lance R. Peterson MD of NorthShore University HealthSystems and Michael Pulia MD from University of Wisconsin/Madison along with survivors sharing their stories. A panel discussion will follow with the public and media asking questions to the experts concerning MRSA, C. difficile and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Remembrance Ceremony
The Remembrance Ceremony will be conducted by Reverend Henry Soles with a prayer and moment of silence and also prayers and song by Chief Golden Light Eagle, a Dakota Chief. MRSA Survivor Network's members who have passed away will be honored in memoriam.
Award Ceremony
MRSA Survivors Network's recipient of 'Person of the Year 2014' award is Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Unite and Virgin Group. The 'Barry M. Farr Humanitarian Award' recipient is Reverend Henry Soles, senior chaplain for the Chicago Bulls and the 'MRSA Youth Champion 2014 Award' goes to Bethany Burke of Austin, Texas.
Downloadable posters, brochures and banners are available at www.WorldMRSAday.org and a public service announcement with Mr. Rob Stafford, evening news anchor of NBC5 Chicago and produced by TrueProductions will air on NBC Chicago stations and can also be viewed on MRSA Survivors Network YouTube Channel and websites.
MRSA Survivors Network is a 501 c (3) nonprofit founded in 2003 by Jeanine R. Thomas, a survivor of MRSA sepsis and C. difficile and who became critically ill after routine ankle surgery. Ms. Thomas was the first patient/consumer advocate in the U.S. to raise the alarm.
For information on how you can become a corporate sponsor (sponsorships and donations are tax deductible) for our awareness programs, organize an event, donate, volunteer and get involved to make a difference, contact us at: 630 325-4354, www.MRSAsurvivors.org, [email protected], Twitter.com/MRSAsurvivors and at Facebook.com/MRSASurvivorsNetwork.
SOURCE MRSA Survivors Network
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