The BBC reports
on a study that shows that computers with flat keyboards could reduce
the transfer of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
A hospital has developed a computer keyboard which it
says could cut cases of the MRSA superbug by 10%.
Research shows as many as 25% of keyboards carry MRSA - one of a number
of hospital-acquired infections which kill 5,000 people each year in
the UK.
That is wonderful. Now we just need flat doorknobs, flat
inkpens, and flat toilets.
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Thanks for the link. I'm sending it on to our local epi crowd, including my former profs at the local university.
However, I'm less concerned about flat doorknobs than having all surfaces smooth emough that they can be easily disinfected with disposable disinfectant wipes (recently confirmed to be hightly effective).
I wasn't concerned at all until our clients began dying. My organization provides medical case management for injured workers. We've had...too many...develop MRSA infections, and the first death this year.
So I'm thrilled that someone is putting flat keyboards in hospitals. You're not supposed to spend a year fighting MRSA just because you hit your finger at work, but the durned bug is in the wild, never mind the concentrations at healthcare facilities in the US.