Awareness Campaign in US Schools about MRSA

Studies have shown that across the United States, more people die of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections than AIDS each year. In an effort to increase awareness about MRSA infections in schools, the Centers for Disease Control are providing information related to MRSA among parents, children, school teachers, and administrators.

The information the CDCs are providing has been edited by foodconsumer.org, and give the reader basic information about MRSA – possible infection types, cause of transmission, environments in which infection can occur, how to protect oneself from being infected, whether schools should close because of MRSA infection, and whether the entire academic community should be informed about each case of infection.

The document provided by the school states that MRSA can thrive on the skin of a person or on the surface of items the patient uses. Transmission is usually by direct contact with the patient or by contact with any of the items the patient uses, such as towels, clothes, bandages, etc.

Earlier on, MRSA was detected usually in hospitals. Nowadays, there is at least a 20% occurrence of the disease in community areas as well, such as schools. Mostly, MRSA transmission happens through the 5 Cs – direct contact, compromised skin (lacerations or abrasions), contaminated items, cleanliness (lack of it), and crowding. The most common places one can find the 5Cs are in schools, barracks, dormitories, correctional centers, houses, and also daycare centers.

Skin infections are the most common form of MRSA in schools. These may manifest as boils or pustules that are painful, reddish, swollen, and may have pus. The pustules can be treated by draining the pus, and antibiotics are not always necessary. There are other more serious forms as well, such as pneumonia, bone and blood infection, etc. These are not usually seen in healthy people who have MRSA, however.

Washing hands properly using soap is a good way of ensuring there is no MRSA infection. An alternative is to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Another way students can take to prevent MRSA infection is by taking a shower after exercising. In case of abrasions and lacerations, the safest option is to cover the affected area using clean and dry bandages until it heals.

Using clean bandages prevents harmful bacteria from settling down on the affected area. Other precautions students should take include ensuring they do not share personalized items like razors and towels. Even if someone is using shared material, such as in the weight training bench in gym class, they should ensure there is a gap between their body and the equipment, such that there is no direct contact with the bench surface.

In the case of an outbreak of MRSA among students and other members of a school community, the decision rests solely with the authorities. Even if there is an outbreak, the final decision has to taken in consultation with officials from the public and state health departments.

There is no need to close down an entire school because of an MRSA infection. Merely disinfecting them would suffice. Cleaning the surfaces most likely to carry the infection, and also most likely to be contact with the body is the best way to remove the MRSA. EPA-registered disinfectants and also detergent-based cleaners have been found effective in this regard.