KING

SEATTLE - A panel of 18 science and medical experts are finalizing recommendations to the state about how Washington should monitor and prevent the antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as MRSA from taking hold and educate the public about ways to prevent it.

During a meeting Friday, the panel made three preliminary recommendations, asking for hospital surveillance, community-based reporting, and tracking by state laboratories.

The hospital-collected data will be used to control infection and improve care. Hospitals are not required to report the information to the state Department of Health.

Voluntary surveillance and reporting in communities throughout the state will target "medically underserved and unique populations," including children, the indigent and those in jail. It is not yet known who would be responsible for the surveillance in the communities, said state Health Officer Maxine Hayes.

State laboratories will report antibiotic resistance patterns to the state so epidemiologists can track it. Currently, the Health Department doesn't require the infection to be reported, although a few counties, including Pierce, voluntarily report MRSA infections.

"Hopefully our comments will inform our legislators, who are also trying to do the right thing and help develop ways of bringing this information to the eyes and ears of the public," said Dr. Robert Thompson, president of the Infectious Disease Society of Washington and co-chairman of the panel.

The panel's report to the governor, which is due Jan. 10, will include a glossary of terms so people can better understand what is being suggested.

It also currently includes a list of what the panel doesn't recommend, which includes mandatory testing and screening of all health care workers and patients. The panel discourages schools and other facilities from closing because of MRSA infections without first talking to a public health official.

"There is good work going on already, and we are building on that good work," Hayes said. "This panel allows us to ask questions and is an opportunity rarely given to us. We have to make the most of it to keep our communities safe."