Congress is holding hearings on whether the federal government is doing enough to prevent deadly hospital infection. Whatever they decide, the actual answer is “no”.
The CDC claims 1.7 million people contract infections in U.S. hospitals each year. In fact, the real number is several times higher. Last year 880,000 people came down with one bug alone, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). And MRSA accounts for only 8 percent of all hospital infections, meaning the actual total of total infections is likely higher than 10 million.
In addition to understating the problem, the CDC has resisted calling on hospitals to make the key change needed to stop infections: MRSA screening. MRSA infections can be prevented by testing incoming patients and taking precautions on those who test positive.