US health officials apologize to gay community for MRSA scare

[Bluebear]

Over the last few weeks, the subject of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) has hit the media making a big impact in the gay community. Several reputable news agencies including the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle published detailed studies about the spread of the disease between men who have homosexual relations. While the risk of the” superbug” does have a higher rate of infection among men who have sex with men, the University of California San Francisco, who first reported the problem, issued a public apology to the gay community for singling them out as major contributor of this potentially deadly disease.

Parts of the tabloid press dubbed it a "new HIV."

In a new statement on their website, the University of California at San Francisco's (UCSF) Department of Public Affairs states they "regret that our recent news report about an important population-based study on MRSA USA300 with public health implications contained some information that could be interpreted as misleading."..

It also provided ammunition for anti-gay groups, including the conservative Concerned Women for America, which issued its own press release on Wednesday, entitled, "Epidemic feared - 'gays' may spread deadly staph infection to general population."


http://www.gmax.co.za/think/health/2008/080205-mrsa.html