According to a recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, an antibiotic-resistant strain of staphylococcus aureus, better known as "Staph," is killing more people annually than homicide, emphysema or AIDS.
The strain, known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, killed approximately 19,000 people in 2005. Although MRSA does not usually attract great public attention, the recent death of a 17-year-old high school student in Virginia sent a wake-up call to schools across the country.
Staph are common bacteria that can live innocuously in the noses and on the skin of uninfected people. Approximately 25 to 30 percent of the population in the United States carries the Staph bacteria.
"Many people have the Staph bacteria as part of their normal bacteria on their body," said Dr. Margaret Higham, medical director of Tufts Health Service. "A lot of us have it in our nose and in our throat and on our skin; we carry it all the time."
Despite the Staph bacteria's prevalence in society, few people are fully aware of the effects and risks of a Staph infection, and many of those at elevated risk - college students - don't know how to identify an infection.
Sophomore Sarah Bliss, who had a Staph infection last April, did not know what it was prior to getting the infection.
"I actually didn't know until I went to Health Services," said Bliss, who is an online editor for the Daily. "I thought it was a spider bite or a bug bite ... I really didn't know until the doctor told me, because I had never really seen a Staph infection and I'd never really known what a Staph infection was."
Staph infections can usually be treated without posing any real danger, as long as they are treated properly and identified before they spread. Higham said that the Staph infection usually shows up on the skin.
"It forms an abscess or a very big nasty pimple, so typically people will have red swollen painful areas often that get a pus pocket on them," she said.
Bliss described her infection as a red sore.
"It started out [like] a small bug bite and after two or three days the area hardened," she said. "The redness spread and it was really sore ... I couldn't comfortably wear jeans."
Higham advised that students who get a cut or notice an abnormal pimple should take precautions to keep it from getting worse.
"Any cut that you get you should wash well," Higham said. "Any little pimple that starts to form in a funny place, you should wash it well and put warm soaks on it and that will help your body fight it."
Bliss also stressed the importance of hygiene.
"The spreading of germs is a part of college life that you can't control," Bliss said. "The bacteria [are] just there because of the congested environment and because of so many people using the same bathrooms. It's up to the person to prevent [infection]."
Staph infections can be fatal, but deaths are rare and, according to Hingham, do not usually occur among young and otherwise healthy people.
"People who die from a Staph infection have the bacteria invade their bloodstream, so it becomes like blood poisoning," Higham said. "It lodges in various parts of their body and their inner organs, not just on the skin or the surface.
"[Death from Staph infections] is certainly most commonly seen in ill people, particularly people who are in the hospital or who've had surgery recently," she continued.
At Tufts, students say sanitation efforts are strong and effective, which could help to prevent potential infections.
"I think [Tufts is] all well-kept," junior Michael Muehlbradt said. "Especially dormitories on campus, [which are] cleaned every day."
Junior Zoé Nourallah agreed.
"Tufts is pretty good at cleaning," Nourallah said. "It's the students that sometimes are gross."
Higham noted that the best ways to prevent a Staph infection are hand washing and keeping open wounds clean.
"A lot of students on campus don't even realize that the university provides hand sanitizer in the bathrooms," Higham said. "If you get any cut or scrape you should wash well. Use soap and water. Good hygiene really helps cut down on infections."
If one experiences symptoms of a Staph infection, and they are not subsiding, the best thing to do is to get medical attention immediately.
"[A Staph infection] is treated with antibiotics and with drainage," Higham said. "If the infection forms an abscess, which is a pus pocket, the pocket needs to be drained ... Antibiotics are given as well, and they can be given either by mouth or, for people who are very ill, intravenously."
