the bacteria are coming to take us down, that's my prediction

Talk of something new is haunting our house lately, and its name is MRSA.

They have had confirmed cases of MRSA not only in our town, but in the kids' school. Today I found out that someone in Logan's class has MRSA. The kid in his class was not the first or only case in the school, which makes me wonder if it has the potential to become an epidemic.

I am trying really hard not to freak out. But even though I'm able to put on my everything's-in-control face for the kids, inside I am definitely worried. J is not even remotely worried; he thinks that the risks of our kids catching it or anything serious resulting from it is about the same as the Asian bird flu.

The school district did send home letters explaining that they have found cases of MRSA but that it's not anything to really worry about as long as we make sure we maintain good hygiene. The Wiki on it says that the death rate from MRSA is about 34 percent, but I'm not sure who is included in that number. (Maybe patients in hospitals, since otherwise it sounds relatively benign?) The school letter said that MRSA is nothing new and that many people are exposed to it or carriers of it without even having symptoms, and that our bodies fight off the bacteria in most cases.

So I don't really feel like the spectre of MRSA is like the Grim Reaper lurking in the corner waiting to kill us or anything. But at the same time, I look at my kid (not saying which one, to protect his privacy) who is always picking his nose and sticking his fingers in his mouth, and I think, if anyone's at risk of getting MRSA, it's you, Mr. Bad-Hygiene Kid. Obviously I am constantly telling him to stop sticking his fingers in his nose and mouth, and to wash his hands more thoroughly, and that for god's sake he REALLY has to stop licking the conveyor belt and shopping cart at the grocery store, but it still seems to fall on deaf ears. And I also consider the fact that Adam, while not officially immuno-compromised, is far more susceptible to illnesses than the rest of us and he always gets a worse case of every illness than we do. He always reacted badly to vaccines, too, including one that had to be reported to the NVIC, and it led to me questioning vaccinations. I don't know if he would be one of the lucky ones if he were to contract MRSA, and I can't really let myself think about that too much.

I feel like I have to give myself a crash course in learning all about MRSA just so I can understand it and talk myself out of being freaked out. I think Ani DiFranco was right when she wrote the line that I used for the title of my post. Ultimately, regardless of whatever happens to the rest of us and our planet, the bacteria will survive. I just hope they don't gain too much power.