Seven Newborn Suffer Drug-Resistant Outbreak of MRSA St. John’s Riverside Hospital

YONKERS, NY – Seven newborn have been diagnosed suffering from a MRSA infection contracted at Yonkers St. John’s Riverside Hospital which was caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria — often called "staph." MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

It’s a strain of staph that’s resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it. MRSA can be fatal yet Saint John’s Riverside Hospital’s Infectious Disease Chief Peter Berkey said, “At this time, I’m not aware of any serious illnesses that have arisen in these seven patients.”

While doctors conduct a forensics search to determine how the bacteria strain was introduced to the nursery, hospital officials assert there is no cause to panic. Hospital authorities advise that as forensics continue, the nursery unit ha been thoroughly cleansed

Berkey asserted that the infected newborn are diagnosed with a non-fatal strain of MRSA and are being effectively treated with antibiotics. The seven infants had been treated upon the staff recognizing minor rashes.  

“I think there is a misunderstanding in the community,” Berkey says. “When they hear MRSA, they think it’s life threatening … in many cases, it’s not.”

Doctors suggest washing hands with an alcohol based sanitizer to prevent the spread of MRSA and other bacteria.