|
Key to combatting MSRA is cleanliness |
|
|
|
Saturday, October 27 2007 |
By TJ HEMLINGER
Staff Writer
There has been just one case of MRSA in Whitley County to date, and it was treated promptly by a local physician. Still, MRSA remains “extremely common,” according to a Health Department official, and overuse of antibiotics has made it more resistant to most antibiotics on the market today.
The solitary victim is a student at Indian Springs Middle School but poses little threat to other students, faculty or staff.
Heather Reid, public health nurse, said the health department did not have jurisdiction over the incident, but she said staph infections are extremely common.
MRSA — methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus — is an antibiotic-resistant staph strain, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Most MRSA infections are skin infections that may appear as pustules or boils that are red, swollen, painful or have pus or other drainage. These skin infections commonly occur at sites of visible skin trauma, such as cuts and abrasions, and areas of the body covered by hair (e.g., back of neck, groin, buttock, armpit, beard area of men).
Almost all MRSA skin infections can be effectively treated by drainage of pus with or without antibiotics. More serious infections, such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections or bone infections, are rare in healthy people who get MRSA skin infections.
MRSA is usually transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with shared items or surfaces that have come into contact with someone else’s infection (e.g., towels, used bandages).
MRSA generally has five factors — the five C’s — that make it easier for it to be transmitted: Crowding; frequent skin-to-skin Contact; Compromised skin (cuts or abrasions); Contaminated items; and a lack of Cleanliness.
There are four methods to avoid getting MRSA:
• Practice good hygiene. Keep your hands clean by washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, shower immediately after participating in exercise.
• Cover abrasions or cuts with a clean, dry bandage until healed.
• Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors that come into contact with bare skin, and use clothing or a towel between your skin and shared equipment such as weight-training benches.
• Maintain a clean environment by establishing cleaning procedures for frequently touched surfaces and surfaces that come into direct contact with people’s skin.
If you have an MRSA skin infection, prevent spreading by these three methods:
• Cover your wound.
• Clean your hands frequently.
• Avoid sharing personal items, such as towels, washcloths, razors, clothing or uniforms that may have had contact with the infected wound or bandage. |
|
Last Updated ( Monday, October 29 2007 )
|
