(WSBT) It has made headlines across the country. Now, local health officials say they're seeing a spike in cases of staph infections here.

The government says more than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly infections each year from what it calls a drug-resistant staph super-bug.

Local health officials say they're seeing more of those cases.

People aren't just getting these infections from the hospital. Hospital officials say they're concerned with the increasing number of staph infections people are getting out in the community, and most people don't even know they have it.

It's called MRSA — a drug-resistant form of staph infection that researchers say may eventually become more deadly than AIDS.

This week, a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association found 94,000 people were infected in 2005; 18,000 of them died.

"If it does get bad, it can get into your bloodstream, it can affect your heart muscle, it can affect your lungs,” explained Linda Zeese of St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. “It can be [deadly].”

Zeese says local health officials have seen an upward trend in the number of MRSA cases here.

Although most are far from deadly, health experts say MRSA can still be painful and cause harm.

Experts blame the rise of this so-called super-bug on the overuse of antibiotics. Over time, they say, it's become resistant. And health experts say most people confuse MRSA with something else entirely.

"Probably 60 to 70 percent of the time when patients show up and they say that they've had a spider bite, they've really got some sort of a MRSA infectious process going on,” Zeese said.

Doctors say it's important to get medical help as soon as you spot it.

"If you can't get in to see your doctor within 48 hours, your best bet is probably to go to an urgent care center or an emergency department because MRSA infections have a tendency to spread very quickly,” said Zeese.

"Is it panic? No. Is it awareness? Sure,” said Susan Kraska, an infection control nurse. “If you have a cut, make sure it’s clean, put a little ointment on it, cover it with a Band-Aid.”

Doctors say to avoid getting this super bug, cover up any cuts you have, wash your hands regularly, wash your body regularly, and don't share personal items like towels with other people.

Health experts say normal household cleaning supplies will also kill the germs — so make sure to clean your house often.

Doctors say it's very rare to die from this, but the increase in the number of cases is a concern to health officials.

Even though it's called drug-resistant, there are still some medications that can treat it for now.

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