MRSA Strain Found in Gays is NOT the New AIDS

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been all over the news in the last few months sending researchers scrambling to find an early detection method and better treatment methods. A recent study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), indicates that a particular new and highly drug-resistant strain of MRSA is spread predominantly among gay men. The study made correlating stereotyping headlines in the media insinuating MRSA is primarily a gay disease. Some people are already going as far as calling it the 'new AIDS'. However, this type of sensationalism is a great disservice to the general population and might in fact cause a faster spread of MRSA.

When the general population first became aware of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, first statistics about infections and deaths indicated a high risk for homosexuals and drug addicts. This caused many people to believe this disease is some kind of punishment for 'unnatural' and 'sinful' behavior. Consequently, precautionary measures and early warning signs of an HIV/AIDS infection were often ignored by the general population, which deemed itself safe as long as they did not have contact with this 'other' segment of the population. A misconception that allowed HIV/AIDS to spread further than it should have. Do we really want to fall into that same trap again?

Unlike HIV/AIDS, which is virus-based, MRSA is bacteria based. Unlike HIV/AIDS infections, which can be treated but not cured, MRSA is less deadly and a cure is available, if the disease is caught early.

At the root of MRSA is Staphylococcus aureus, which can be found in the nasal passages of about 25 to 30 percent of the population, where it is harmless. Only once it manages to enter the body in other areas, it might lead to a potentially life-threatening MRSA infection. The disease's first signs are often a small non-healing wound, a boil or rash that does not disappear, or a cough that does not improve. After fifty years of liberal antibiotics use the MRSA causing type of bacteria has become resistant to them. Only strong antibiotics versions offer a treatment option, if MRSA is caught early enough. The severity of the disease has caused great fear in the population and scientists around the globe are working hard on finding ways to contain this disease before it can gain epidemic proportions.

While better and faster tests for the presence of the bacteria and better and faster treatment methods are one way to deal with MRSA, prevention is an even bigger factor. Health departments around the country have been informing Americans about the disease. Information has been provided on how to avoid a MRSA infection.

MRSA is generally spread through personal contact either through touching an infected individual or an object this person has touched. It can also be spread through coughing and sneezing. Therefore, proper hygiene is the first line of defense against the disease. Sexual contact, especially anal sex, has also been identified as an infection route. But, it is only one of many ways of catching the disease.

According to the UCSF study, the new MRSA strain is rapidly spreading throughout the gay community in San Francisco and Boston. The scientists arrived at their conclusion after a review of medical records from outpatient clinics in San Francisco and Boston as well as nine medical centers in San Francisco. In San Francisco alone gay men are 13 times more likely to contract the disease compared to other citizens.

While these numbers are alarming, the study is limited to San Francisco and Boston, with most of the numbers coming from San Francisco, which is commonly known to have a very active and vibrant homosexual community. Still the UCSF study has great limitations. Yes, gay men should be beware of the thread and take precautionary actions. Still, this does not mean this particular strain is not already present in the general population as well and can be spread through other means. Even the scientists behind the UCSF study are quick to point out that that a spread into the general population is highly likely. If HIV/AIDS taught us anything, even if this particular strain of MRSA would currently only be limited to the gay community, it will easily spread beyond this through bi-sexual contacts. And for those out there being prude, there are heterosexuals, who have anal sex.

Therefore, brandishing MRSA as the new AIDS does a great disservice to the general population, which might not follow through on measures to protect itself.