MRSA

MRSA - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - is a bug that is resistant to antibiotic drugs called beta-lactams. Beta-lactam antibiotic drugs include methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin.

Anyone can get MRSA.

MRSA causes skin irritations that, if left untreated, can lead to serious infections - such as surgical wound infections, bloodstream infections, and pneumonia. In some cases, MRSA can be life threatening and/or fatal.

MRSA Spreads By:

Close skin-to-skin contact
Openings in the skin such as cuts or abrasions
Contaminated items and surfaces
Crowded living conditions
Poor hygiene

If you have a pimple or a boil that stays red or inflamed, is swollen, painful, or has pus or other drainage and won't go away, or a wound that appears to be infected, see your doctor.

There are antibiotics that are effective in killing the staph bacteria. For severe infection, doctors will typically use vancomycin intravenously. If after seeing your doctor the infection isn't getting better after a few days, contact your doctor again. It is possible to have a staph or MRSA skin infection come back (recur) after it is cured.

Prevention - Practice Good Hygiene

Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water. When you don't have access to soap and water, carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer containing at least 62 percent alcohol.

Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed. Bandages or tape can be discarded with regular trash.

Avoid contact with other people's wounds or bandages.

Avoid sharing personal items, such as towels, washcloths, razors, clothes, or uniforms.

Wash sheets, towels, and clothes that become soiled with water and laundry detergent. Use bleach and hot water if possible. Drying clothes in a hot dryer, rather than air drying, also helps kill bacteria in clothes.

Always shower promptly after exercising.