Facts About MSRA
... school nurse explains treatment resistant staph infections
By Laura Johnson
January 27, 2009
MRSA
(Methycillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus)
MRSA is a type of Staphylococcus Aureus. Staphylococcus aureus, most commonly referred to as “staph” is a bacterium that is found everywhere, but most commonly found on our skin and in our noses. A staph infection starts when staph get into a cut, scrape, or other break in the skin. An infection can be minor and require no treatment, or it may require treatment with antibiotics. MRSA is a staph infection that is resistant to treatment with certain antibiotics. MRSA infections used to occur exclusively in nursing homes and hospitals among persons with weakened immune systems, but more recently, MRSA infections have risen in the community population and have presented as skin infections in relatively healthy individuals.
Staph bacteria, including MRSA, can cause skin infections that may look like a pimple or boil and can be red, swollen, painful, or have pus or other drainage. Consult your healthcare provider if such a sore should occur, and the doctor will advise the best course of treatment.
MRSA is typically spread in the community in one of two ways: (1) by direct person-to-person contact with a person who has an active skin infection, or (2) indirectly through shared personal items, such as towels, razors, clothing, or athletic equipment, that has come into contact with someone else’s infection.
The first line of defense to any infection is proper hand washing, including cleaning under the fingernails. Any open wound should always be covered, and if drainage is present, dressings should be changed frequently, despite the amount of drainage.
Students will be excluded from school until they are under appropriate treatment by a physician. After treatment is started, students are permitted to return to school as long as the wound is covered, and the wound drainage is contained. Closing schools has not been found to be effective in reducing the spread of MRSA from one person to another.
Remember:
- Wash hands thoroughly and often with soap and water or alcohol based hand sanitizer.
- Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed.
- Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or bandages.
- Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors.
- Shower daily with soap and water.
- Consult a physician if a pimple becomes red, painful, swollen, or has pus.
