Fight germs with common sense
The war between man and microbe has been waged for millennia. Man will never win. One, he's outnumbered. Two, germs have evolution on their side. Whenever people throw up defenses against the bugs that live in and on us, bacteria seem to find a way around them. Such is the case with a troubling form of Staphylococcus aureus, which has developed resistance to the antibiotic methicillin. Methicillin-resistant staph made headlines this month when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported that MRSA infections killed nearly 19,000 Americans in 2005, exceeding the death toll of AIDS. This type of staph is known for causing skin infections, but it can prove fatal if an infection spreads to the bloodstream.
Worse, the CDC says such infections are becoming more common outside of their typical environments -- namely, hospitals and health-care facilities -- increasingly popping up at gyms and schools.
Nonetheless, humans have a powerful weapon: common sense.
Indeed, people have ways to lessen their susceptibility to MRSA and other infections, the most basic of which is thorough hygiene. Wash your hands. Clean and cover wounds. Don't share personal items, such as razors and towels. Wipe down gym equipment with alcohol-based sanitizers.
Furthermore, don't pester doctors to prescribe antibiotics for every sniffle. Overuse of such drugs creates conditions in the body for renegade bacteria to thrive. Overprotective moms need to be a little less so.
Could we try saving?
The Illinois General Assembly and the governor have squabbled their way into gridlock this year on a whole range of issues. As we've said in the past, this is not such a bad thing.
The state leaders are at loggerheads over funding for Chicago area mass transit, spending on roads, bridges, school buildings and student aid and over the taxes and fees to pay for all this. Nowhere is there talk of saving money elsewhere.
Aside from the substantial personal animosity among the leaders, there is one common thread in all of this: How to take money from one group of citizens to pay for what citizens elsewhere want.