Some hospitals fail to contain MRSA outbreaks

The Seattle Times published the first part of a series revealing failures by Washington hospitals to control the spread of drug-resistant staph infections known as MRSA. Washington state hospitals are not obligated to track infection rates, but The Times analysis of millions of documents "revealed 672 previously undisclosed deaths attributable to the infection." State and federal inspection reports showed that hospitals in the state frequently violate basic safety measures that help prevent the spread of germs and infection. Statistics show that six out of seven people infected by MRSA contract the infection at a health-care facility.