U.S. report shows drop in dangerous staph illnesses

CHICAGO — Government research shows hard-to-treat staph infections caught in hospitals or through medical treatment are becoming scarcer.

The decline is in a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on methicillin-resistant staph, or MRSA (MUR'-suh). CDC researchers examined incidence of MRSA infections that can become deadly — including those that invade the bloodstream and flesh.

Cases declined about 16 percent between 2005 and 2008 in nine major urban areas, or from about 32 per 100,000 to about 26 per 100,000.

The researchers say the results suggest that prevention efforts, like better hand-washing by doctors and nurses, are working.