Here’s some alarming news regarding the staph infections known as superbugs. These are infections that don't respond to antibiotics.

Researchers say these infections have doubled in recent years, and in some cases could be considered an epidemic. One study says not only are more people getting infections but the infections themselves are getting out of control.

Researchers found hospital visits for staph infections rose 62 percent between 1999 and 2005. MRSA, a "superbug" that is resistant to many antibiotics, more than doubled.

"MRSA is out of control. It’s a large problem and it’s growing rapidly," said Ramanan Laxminarayan, the author of a study of staph infections.

The problem isn’t only in hospitals but also in communities. Schools across the country have closed recently after students like 11-year-old Shae Kiernan died.

"She was laying on the ground saying, 'I don't feel good; I don't feel good,' and that's the last time I talked to her," said Betty Jackson, a friend of Shae Kiernan.

Hospital outbreaks are concerning. Researchers suggest, when hospital budgets are tight, expensive infection control programs are often the first things that are cut.

“There's often not enough that hospitals can do to control infections within their own walls unless all the other hospitals are doing the same thing. But nobody wants to be doing this on their own,” said Laxminarayan.

Maryland representative Elijah Cummings is sponsoring a bill that would require hospitals to report MRSA and consider financial incentives -- and public disclosure -- for those with the lowest infection rates.

"If a hospital has a huge number or disproportionate number of infections per patient, and somebody compares that to another hospital that is doing much better, you can bet your bottom dollar they're going to go to the hospital who has the better record," said Cummings.

In hopes they won't get sicker while trying to get well, one estimate puts MRSA deaths in the United States at 18,000. That's more people than die every year in this country from AIDS.