What is MRSA

        Methicillian-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a bacteria infection that is caused by Staphylococcus and is usually called “staph”.  Bacteria is a microscopic organism that can not be seen with the naked eye but only with specialized equipment such as a microscope. 

There are many good and bad bacteria.  MRSA is just one in thousands of such bacteria.  Many bacteria live all around us and cause us no hard until our immune system is weaken by stress such as a the cold virus, poor health or even emotional stress such as finals    

The reason it is getting harder to treat MRSA with normal doses of antibiotics is because of its ability to change and resist antibiotics used to treat it. 

        Reasons it is getting stronger

·        Over prescription of antibiotics for viruses such as the common cold or flu that might lead to an infection.

·         Antibiotics in our food and water supply used in the feed of farm animals.

·        Germ mutation/ evolving  

How do I get a staph infection?

        People usually have many kinds of bacteria present on the skin that live in symbiosis and cause no illnesses.  It affects us when our defenses get damaged by a cut or dry cracked skin or a weakened immune system. 

        Staph is spread from person to person through direct skin contact, contact with shared items such as towels, equipment, and living in unsanitary conditions.

What does it look like?

        Staph infections, including MRSA, usually starts as a small red bump or bumps.  It resembles a pimple, boil, or spider bite.  These can quickly turn painful and increase in size.  Some will require surgical drainage.  This is usually associated with the skin but can infect the bones, joints, heart valves and lungs traveling through the blood stream.

How do I prevent staph, and other infections?

·        Proper hygiene

·        Hand washing

·        Keep personal items personal this includes towels, tooth brushes, pens, ect

·        Keep wounds covered

·        Keep surfaces that are touched everyday clean, such as keys and door handles.

·        Sneeze into tissue or the crook of your arm and not in your hands.

Proper hand washing techniques

When washing hands it is important not to recontaminate them by touching the handles just touched with dirty hands.  The handles contain thousands of bacteria that were just on the hands. So when turning off the water use the paper towel used to dry your hands.      

.

        The proper steps in washing hands

1)      get the paper towel ready

2)      turn water on to wash hands

3)      use soap most people recommend antibacterial soap

4)      wash for at least 30 seconds and if you have one us a scrub brush for under the nails

5)      take the paper towel and dry your hands and then using the paper towel turn the water off.

Most people do not realize how many surfaces they touch each day. 

Exercise:

 1) Count how many surfaces you touch everyday, include your keys, and phone.

Test/Quiz

1) T/F   The way to transmit MRSA is through direct skin contact, shared items and unsanitary living conditions

2) T/F MRSA is not treatable with antibiotics

3) T/F You should wash your hands with the strongest detergent you can find.

4 T/F Everyone’s skin is covered with millions of bacteria

References  

        BBC news, Q&A: MRSA ‘superbugs’ 3/6/2007

        Mayo Clinic,  Health Library CNN.com  11/30/2007

        UC Davis Conference 2006, 2007

        The weather channel/health.com