A deadly bacteria is making its way through many hospitals across the country, including some in Oregon.
Oregon is among 42 states where the super-bug has hit, with 32 cases documented in the state since December of 2011. Five of those cases are from Southern Oregon.
The director of the Centers for Disease Control refers to it as, “The nightmare bacteria.”
It’s called Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE. What makes the bacteria especially frightening is it’s resistant to nearly all antibiotics – even some of the most powerful available.
While the number of cases aren’t extremely high the risks are. Up to half of those who get the bacteria in their bloodstream die from it.
It can also transfer its antibiotic resistant to other bacteria, thereby making them potentially untreatable too.
People who are hospitalized or in long-term acute care nursing homes with compromised immune systems are most at risk
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