Abstract
The ambivalence regarding methods of dealing with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among hospitals and nursing facilities is highlighted in this issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. On the one hand, the American Hospital Association (AHA) special report on MRSA1 is a rational but somewhat inconsistent evaluation of various measures to deal with MRSA. The overall tone of the special report is one of moderation in handling this problem. In contrast, a letter by Simor al2 reports an intense epidemiologic effort (culturing all residents and staff) after finding two residents with MRSA infection or colonization in a long-term care facility in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. These two reports are sending two different messages regarding MRSA to hospitals and nursing facilities trying to deal with this organism. The AHA report implies that hospitals and nursing facilities should be concerned about endemic MRSA and provides opinions as to which approaches may be useful. The Task Force suggests that each hospital and nursing facility adopt a plan that is based on surveillance data and resources available. The message by Simor et al2 is that MRSA needs to be sought out and eliminated at all cost to prevent it from becoming an increasing problem in an institution. This editorial will try to put these reports into perspective and to highlight issues that are not addressed. AHA SPECIAL REPORT
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