What is MRSA?How prevalent is staph and MRSA?How do I know if I have MRSA?Why do some people get very sick and others don't?Can MRSA be cured?Can MRSA be prevented?What about schools? Should they be closed and disinfected?Shouldn't Students with MRSA stay home?Where can I go for more information? What is MRSA?
MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a strain of the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria- often called “staph.” Staph bacteria are found everywhere. Decades ago, some strains of the bacteria became resistant to certain antibiotics due to a combination of overuse of antibiotics and genetic changes in the bacteria.
How prevalent is staph and MRSA?
It is estimated that approximately one-third to one-half of the population of the U.S. has staph bacteria in their nasal passages.This usually does not cause an infection. The infection comes when the bacteria enter the body through a cut or break in the skin. Approximately 1% of the general population has the MRSA strain. Many don’t know it because they don’t become sick.
Most people who get MRSA acquire it in a hospital. Approximately 14% of MRSA cases are acquired outside the hospital. This is known as community acquired MRSA or CA-MRSA. In an October 17 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, they estimated that in 2005, there were 94,000 cases of hospital acquired MRSA, resulting in over 18,000 deaths. It is unknown how many CA-MRSA cases there are.
How do I know if I have MRSA?
MRSA can manifest itself as a skin disorder such as welts, boils, pimples, etc. If you have a skin infection, see your doctor to be tested.
Why do some people get very sick and others don’t?
Most MRSA infections are in the surface level of the skin. Others penetrate deeper and are carried throughout the body in the blood stream. People who become seriously ill often times have weakened immune systems. Can MRSA be cured?
Yes, certain antibiotics such as Vancomycin still work to treat MRSA. Can MRSA be prevented?
Yes. MRSA is everywhere, but there are certain things you can do to prevent its spread:
Keep personal items personal. Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, sheets, razors, clothing and athletic equipment. MRSA spreads on contaminated objects as well as through direct contact.
Keep wounds covered. Keep cuts and abrasions clean and covered with sterile, dry bandages until they heal. The pus from infected sores often contains MRSA, and keeping wounds covered will help keep the bacteria from spreading.
Sanitize linens. If you have a cut or sore, wash towels and bed linens in hot water with added bleach and dry them in a hot dryer. Wash gym and athletic clothes after each wearing.
Wash your hands. In or out of the hospital, careful hand washing remains your best defense against germs. Scrub hands briskly for at least 15 seconds, then dry them with a disposable towel and use another towel to turn off the faucet. Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer containing at least 62 percent alcohol for times when you don’t have access to soap and water.
Get tested. If you have a skin infection that requires treatment, ask your doctor if you should be tested for MRSA. Many doctors prescribe drugs that aren’t effective against antibiotic-resistant staph, which delays treatment and creates more resistant germs.
What about schools? Should they be closed and disinfected?
Good sanitation should always be practiced in schools, particularly in locker rooms including equipment and restrooms.Rather than closing schools and performing a one-time disinfection, good sanitation in locker rooms and restrooms should be routine.The world and schools are not sterile places. Besides, most of the time MRSA is spread via person-to-person contact.
Shouldn't students with MRSA stay home?
Unless directed by a physician, students with MRSA infections should not be excluded from attending school. Exclusion from school should be reserved for those with wound drainage ("pus") that cannot be covered and contained with a clean, dry bandage and for thouse who cannot maintain good personal hygiene. Students with active infections should be excluded from activities where skin-to-skin contact is likely to occur (e.g., sports) until their infections are healed.
Where can I go for more information?
The Ohio Department of Health has excellent information and guidance on their website at http://www.odh.state.oh.us. Another excellent resource for up-to-date information comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their website is: http:www.cdc.gov.