Key Points about MRSA
Virginia Department of Health
October 18, 2007
Key Points about MRSA
- Staphylococcus aureus ("staph") infections are not new,
nor are antibiotic resistant staph infections such as MRSA. Certain groups
have always been at increased risk of infection from staph-athletes, military
recruits, children, incarcerated people and people who are hospitalized or
in non-hospital healthcare facilities. In reality, children and adults in
general are at no greater risk of infection this week than they may have been
last week.
- Many people have heard of staph before. It's been around forever. MRSA
is a type of staph that have grown resistant to some of the antibiotics that
are normally used to kill staph. Other antibiotics can kill MRSA, and not
all MRSA infections need to be treated with antibiotics. Doctors sometimes
treat them by just draining the wound, for example.
- Staph live on people's skin and in their noses. About 20% of people at
any time might be carrying staph bacteria on themselves and not be aware of
it. About 1% may carry MRSA. Sometimes staph can enter the body through breaks
in the skin and cause infection. Usually these are wound infections, but sometimes
more serious internal infections can occur. Those serious infections most
often occur in people who have weakened immune systems or have recently had
surgery or other invasive medical procedures.
- MSRSA used to occur mostly in hospital or other healthcare settings. Since
the 1980s it has been seen more in community settings. Most outbreaks have
been seen in prisons and jails, where crowded living conditions allow it to
spread from person to person or in athletic teams, where there is a lot of
skin to skin contact and wounds are common.
- Staph, including MRSA, are passed from person to person through direct skin to skin contact, often through contaminated hands touching another person. It may also be passed by touching items contaminated by another person.
- The key ways to prevent the spread of staph bacteria are through frequent and thorough handwashing and through proper wound care. Hands should be washed after toileting or diapering, before eating, and before and after changing bandages. Wounds should be cleaned and covered with bandages. Those wounds that do not heal properly or have unusual amounts of drainage or pus need medical attention.
- Cleaning is always good. No special cleaning is needed to rid an environment or surface of staph. Clothes, towels, and blankets can be washed in hot water with regular laundry detergent. Regular household cleaners, like Lysol or bleach solution (one part bleach to nine parts water), can be used to clean surfaces. It is important to realize that, because staph is carried around by people, once people enter an environment that has been cleaned, the bacteria may be brought back into the environment. Regular, routine cleaning is recommended.
- Additional special precautions should be taken in athletic teams. Anyone who has a wound whose drainage cannot be contained by a bandage or other dressing should be excused from activities. Uniforms and personal equipment should be assigned to individuals and not shared. Uniforms and towels should be laundered after each use. Surfaces, such as benches and mats, should be cleaned after each practice or game.
