The recent Seattle Times series on the prevalence of an antibiotic-resistant superbug in hospitals sparks serious questions, but it should not cause panic.

To recap, the Times discovered that MRSA infection rates in Washington state have increased from 141 a year to 4,732 a year in the past decade. It found 672 previously undisclosed MRSA-related deaths from 2003 to 2006. A total of 2,429 cases were found at Spokane County hospitals from 1997 to 2007, according to the Times’ database.

These revelations come on the heels of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s surprising announcement that the scope of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus is much wider than previously thought. Nationwide, an estimated 94,000 people had a serious MRSA infection in 2005, and nearly 19,000 of them died. Thousands of others underwent painful surgeries and amputations to combat the bug.

About 85 percent of cases occur in hospitals. Many patients carry the bug in on their skin, where it can be harmless. But it can do great damage if introduced into the bloodstream through surgical incisions, catheters and central lines.

While MRSA has grabbed the attention of the public, it is just one of the many superbugs that have survived the widespread use of antibiotics. What hasn’t killed them has made them stronger. What the public needs is an assurance that consistent protocols are being implemented and zealously enforced in health care settings.

Progress is being made. Five years ago, no state required hospitals to report infection cases. Now 25 do. Last month, Washington began its reporting. Last year, the state convened a task force of medical specialists to address the spread of MRSA. The Washington State Hospital Association is grappling with the thorny issues of screening and isolating patients. One complication is that when testing reveals MRSA, patients can be disqualified for individual insurance coverage. Another is that a focus on MRSA does nothing to stop other hospital-acquired infections.

For the time being, the state health department and the hospital association have embraced the CDC’s guidelines for dealing with MRSA. Illinois has adopted more widespread screening and hospital officials there recently met with their Washington counterparts to report that the new regimen unearthed about three times as many cases as the previous year.

This obviously will be a continuing debate among health experts, but the public needs to be kept informed. This isn’t just a hospital issue. In the meantime, do your part by washing your hands and making sure your health care professionals do the same.