World MRSA Day Event to Broadcast Live - October 1, 2011

CHICAGO, Sept. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The third annual World MRSA Day kickoff event and Global MRSA Summit at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, Illinois on October 1, 2011 will broadcast live via web stream starting at 10:30 a.m. central time and can be viewed at www.worldmrsaday.org and www.MRSAsurvivors.org.  The event is open to the public, free of charge and entire families are encouraged to attend.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090825/DC65136LOGO)

"The community and healthcare industry are uniting together to raise awareness of the worldwide MRSA epidemic," states Jeanine Thomas, founder of World MRSA Day and MRSA Survivors Network.  The 2011 global theme is "The MRSA Epidemic – A Call to Action." World MRSA Day and World MRSA Awareness Month have been observed annually since 2009 to raise awareness and educate the public worldwide. MRSA Survivors Network has given hope and support to MRSA survivors and families since 2003 and runs the only MRSA crisis hot line in the United States.

Sponsors are: Tec Labs, Roche, Pfizer, Loyola University Health System and media sponsor NBC Chicago.

The October 1, 2011 annual kickoff event begins with the Remembrance Ceremony and bagpipe music by the Chicago Highlanders, followed by a prayer from Reverend Henry Soles, senior chaplain for the Chicago Bulls basketball team in honor of all of the MRSA victims around the world who have lost their life to this preventable disease. A moment of silence will be observed.

Mr. Rob Stafford, anchor for NBC Chicago nightly news and contributing correspondent for NBC Dateline is emcee. Dr. William R. Jarvis, president of Jason and Jarvis Associates LLC, a world-renowned MRSA expert and formerly with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the keynote speaker. Also speaking are Illinois senate president John Cullerton, Dr. Jorge Parada - director of infectious disease and medical director of the infection control program at Loyola University Chicago, Jeanine Thomas of MRSA Survivors Network and MRSA survivors will share their personal stories. Soloist Tracy Jackson of Chicago will be performing.

MRSA Survivor Network's 2011 award recipients are: Dr. Barry M. Farr – "Humanitarian Award," "Woman of the Year" – Illinois State Rep. Patti Bellock, "Man of the Year" – Dr. Loren G. Miller, "Public Service Award" – Veterans Administration Health System, "Hospital Leader Award" – Loyola University Health System and "Legacy Sponsor Award" – Tec Laboratories, Inc.

A thirty minute seminar for the public will be conducted right after the awards ceremony. The seminar and presentation will teach individuals on how they can become a MRSA Survivors Champion in their community and raise awareness.

The World Health Organization (WHO) must immediately take a leadership position through the development and implementation of a worldwide MRSA surveillance and reporting system. Such a system would facilitate the collection of data on MRSA infections and colonization. The public release of such data would illustrate the true magnitude of the MRSA pandemic worldwide and facilitate the implementation of evidence-based prevention interventions that are so desperately needed. Transparency is essential. Active detection and isolation (ADI) for MRSA, as has been documented in Denmark, Holland and selected other settings as an extremely effective method to prevent and control MRSA colonization and infection, should be fully implemented in all healthcare facilities worldwide where MRSA is prevalent. Recent data from the U.S. Veteran's Administration hospital system documents that ADI is effective in dramatically reducing MRSA infections even in healthcare facilities where MRSA has been endemic for many, many years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that approximately 18,000 persons die of invasive MRSA healthcare-associated infections (HAI's) in U.S. healthcare facilities annually. During the last decade, nearly 100,000 persons have died from invasive MRSA infections. Thus, more persons die from just invasive (not all) MRSA-HAI's than from HIV/AIDS each year.

The failure of government officials worldwide (except for a small number in Western Europe) to acknowledge the extent of the problem of MRSA in their healthcare facilities is a significant barrier to addressing the global MRSA epidemic. Increasingly it is being recognized that MRSA is not just prevalent in the human population, but also is being increasingly recognized in animals, the environment and even in our food supplies.

MRSA Survivors Network's European alliance partner, MRSA Action UK will be holding and participating in events throughout October, World MRSA Awareness Month in England. Other U.S. events are taking place in Altamont, Illinois- MRSA Missions, University of Illinois Medical School, Peoria, IL, Salt Lake City, Utah, Sioux Falls, S.D., and several universities in the United States.  

Aruba artist, Monica E. Oduber, has created the first MRSA painting 'Starseed' to draw attention to the MRSA epidemic and plans to exhibit her MRSA paintings during the Chicago World MRSA Day kickoff event on October 1, 2011 and this will be the first international exhibit of her paintings to raise awareness for MRSA.

Jeanine Thomas, founder of World MRSA Day and MRSA Survivors Network was the first patient and consumer advocate to raise the alarm about MRSA and HAI's in the United States and has been a positive force for change. She became infected during ankle surgery and was critically ill with MRSA sepsis, osteomyelitis, complicating C. difficile infection; from these she nearly died.

For further information on how your company or organization can become an official sponsor, volunteer or donate, contact MRSA Survivors Network at [email protected], 630 325-4354 USA or visit us at Twitter - www.Twitter.com/MRSAsurvivors or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MRSASurvivorsNetwork.

CONTACT: Jeanine Thomas, +1-630 325-4354, [email protected]

SOURCE MRSA Survivors Network