Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a staph bacterium that is resistant to most antibiotics. Although most staph bacteria live on the skin and inside the nose without causing problems, MRSA is different in that it cannot be treated using common antibiotics such as methicillin. Practicing a clean lifestyle is the best way to protect yourself and your family from this dangerous bacterial infection, but there are also a number of important steps that need to be taken. See Step 1 to learn more.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Understanding about MRSA
Step 1. Know how it spreads
MRSA is usually spread to patients in a hospital setting through the hands of another individual - usually a healthcare professional who touches an individual with the infection. Since patients in hospitals generally have weak immune systems, they are very susceptible to infection. Although this is the usual mode of transmission of MRSA, it is possible to transmit it by other means. As an example:
- MRSA can be spread when someone touches a contaminated object, such as hospital equipment.
- MRSA can be spread between individuals who share personal items, such as towels and razors.
- MRSA can be spread between individuals who use the same equipment, such as exercise equipment and bathrooms in the athlete's locker room.
Step 2. Understand why MRSA is dangerous
MRSA actually infects approximately 30% of healthy humans without them knowing it. It lives in the human nose, and usually causes no problems, or causes only minor infections. However, when it overwhelms a weakened immune system, MRSA does not respond to most antibiotics. This makes it difficult to treat once the infection has started to take its toll.
MRSA can trigger pneumonia, boils, abscesses, and skin infections. It can also enter the bloodstream and cause serious health problems
Step 3. Identify who is at risk
People in hospitals – especially those who have undergone any number of surgical procedures, which leave their bodies vulnerable to infection – have been at risk for decades of contracting MRSA. Hospitals and other medical facilities are now implementing protocols to reduce a patient's risk of contracting MRSA, but the dangers remain. A new strain of MRSA is now infecting healthy individuals who are outside the hospital – especially in school locker rooms, where children share equipment.
Method 2 of 3: Protecting Yourself
Step 1. Work closely with the health team
If you are a patient in a hospital, do not leave all the responsibility for preventive measures to medical personnel alone. Even medical personnel who are really doing their best to look after patients sometimes make mistakes, so you need to take the initiative to control your own condition. Here's how to do it:
- Hospital staff should always wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before touching a patient. If anyone wants to touch you without first taking these precautions, ask them to wash their hands first and use hand sanitizer. Don't be afraid to remind this for your own good.
- Make sure the infusion tube and catheter are inserted in sterile conditions - the person inserting them will need to wear a mask and sterilize your skin first. The punctured skin is the main entry point for MRSA.
- If the conditions in the room you are in or the equipment used is not sterile, tell the hospital staff about this.
- Tell visitors who come to visit to wash their hands first, and ask individuals who are less well to visit at another time, after their condition improves.
Step 2. Always keep it clean
Remove germs from hands by using soap and warm water or using a hand sanitizer that has at least 62% alcohol content. When washing your hands, rub quickly for 15 seconds and dry with a tissue paper. Use another tissue paper to turn off the faucet.
- Always wash your hands frequently when in health facilities, schools, and other public places.
- Teach your child how to wash their hands properly.
Step 3. Be proactive
If you are being treated for a skin infection, ask your doctor if you need to have an MRSA test. If this is not asked, the doctor may prescribe drugs that are unable to kill antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria, which can slow down treatment and produce more resistant bacteria. By undergoing the test, you will get the antibiotics needed to treat the infection you are suffering from.
The willingness to speak frankly while in a health facility is essential if this is to protect against MRSA infection. Don't assume that your doctor always knows what's best
Step 4. Use antibiotics properly
Take all prescribed antibiotic pills, even if the infection has cleared. Do not stop taking antibiotics unless ordered by your doctor.
- Consumption of the wrong antibiotics will contribute to the ability of bacteria to resist treatment causing them to turn against antibiotics that have a similar composition to methicillin. This is why it is important to strictly adhere to the rules of taking antibiotics, even if you are gradually recovering.
- Throw away antibiotics after use. Don't use antibiotics that are meant for someone else or share antibiotics with other people.
- If you have been taking antibiotics for several days and the infection is not getting better, consult a doctor immediately.
Step 5. Warn children not to touch someone's wound or bandage
Children are more likely to touch someone's wounds than adults, which puts children and individuals whose wounds are touched at risk for MRSA. Tell your children that touching someone's wounds should not be done.
Step 6. Keep the room clean and used by many people
Clean and disinfect high-risk rooms and surfaces regularly, both at home and at school:
- Any and all sports equipment used by more than one person (chin helmet, mouth and teeth protector)
- Locker room surface
- Kitchen countertop
- Bathrooms, toilets and other surfaces that frequently come into contact with the skin of infected individuals
- Hair styling facilities
- Child care facilities
Step 7. Shower immediately after exercising and playing sports with soap and water
Most sports teams share the use of helmets and jerseys, if your team also does so, take a shower after each workout. Also make sure you don't share towels after showering.
Method 3 of 3: Preventing the Spread of MRSA
Step 1. Recognize the symptoms of MRSA
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of a staph infection include a red bump or discoloration on the infected area of the skin, swelling, pain, warmth to the touch, pus and usually a fever. If you think you have MRSA, even if you don't show any signs of infection, it is very important to prevent transmission to other individuals.
- If you think you have MRSA, ask your doctor to do a test on the area to determine what type of infection you have.
- Don't hesitate to act if you're concerned about an infection. If you suspect you have an infection, and the infection doesn't go away or gets worse, go to the hospital immediately. MRSA generally spreads quickly throughout the body.
Step 2. Wash your hands frequently
If you have MRSA, washing your hands is a very important habit. Wash your hands with soap and warm water, and do so every time you enter or leave a health facility.
Step 3. Cover cuts and scrapes with a clean, sterile bandage immediately
Leave it covered until it heals completely. Pus from an infected wound can contain MRSA, so bandaging the wound will prevent the spread of bacteria. Make sure you change the bandage frequently, and dispose of it properly, so that it doesn't touch anyone.
Step 4. Do not share personal items with others
Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, sheets, sports equipment, clothes and razors. MRSA is spread through contaminated objects other than direct contact.
Step 5. Disinfect the sheets if you have cuts or ulcers
You can do this by washing towels and sheets in the washing machine on the "hot" setting. Wash sports clothes after each wear.
Step 6. Tell your healthcare provider that you have MRSA
This is information they need to know to protect themselves and other patients. Be sure to tell doctors, nurses, dentists, and any other medical personnel with whom you have contact.
Tips
Disinfectants are specifically registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and contain ingredients that are effective at killing bacteria and other germs. Before you buy a disinfectant, check the product label for the "disinfectant" designation and EPA registration number
Warning
- Don't share clothes, cosmetics, makeup, shoes or hats.
- Cases of MRSA are on the rise, leading to infection and sometimes death.
- You are not recommended to self-medicate.
- You should seek medical help.
- Bacteria can spread in the body through internal organs such as the liver and heart.
