Ohio doesn't track individual drug-resistant bacteria cases

In a follow-up to yesterday's information about the spread of a drug-resistant bacteria in hospitals and nursing homes, Ohio is evidently among the states which do not kept track of "serious infections and deaths" caused by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). (Source: "Individual staph cases not tracked in Ohio," Columbus Dispatch, Oct. 18, 2007.) "Ohio requires that doctors and health officials report multi-person outbreaks of MRSA, but not individual cases. That can make it tough for state officials to determine the scope of the problem." The article quotes infectious-disease and public health officials in Ohio as saying that the state should beef up its reporting requirements. "This is part of a new reality, learning how to understand and prevent the spread of these kinds of infections," said Teresa Long, health commissioner for Columbus Public Health.