McCleary MRSA Prevention

Another member of my family was diagnosed with MRSA on Saturday.  Thank goodness it is skin MRSA.  He had lumps under his breast for 3 to 4 weeks.  One got to be about an inch and  a half across and stuck up about 3/4 of an  inch.  After it drained there was a hole left.  A second good sized one started and then a third. He is pretty tough and kept thinking it would go away, but after speaking with a triage nurse (not me this time) he decided to see someone.  He was treated in a stand alone clinic and diagnosed with MRSA.  He got an antibiotic and some ointment.

The one vital thing he did not get was education/instructions about preventing spread.  When I spoke with this relative, he was on his way to the gym.  If his medical provider was worth his salt, he would have advised my relative to not go to the gym with an active draining MRSA infection.  Why wasn’t he given the information he needed to protect his family and others in social situations.

The quotes I was given from this medical provider were….”skin MRSA isn’t much of a concern, you can get it anywhere”.  I see it all the time.”   If these things are true, then why doesn’t he, or his practice and all other practices in the US hand out standard instructions on prevention of spread within the family, in the workplace and in other social situations?    All of us are vulnerable to infections.  MRSA may seem innocuous, but if left untreated or ignored for a long time, it can spread into muscle, bone, blood and lungs.  If nobody teaches us about how to avoid spread, it can invade a household and infect family members.  

I believe that EDUCATION is as important as all the other steps in MRSA prevention.  Please read the instruction sheet at this link to learn how to stop the spread of MRSA…whether it is from the community or the hospital.  It is very good.

http://www.accesskent.com/Health/HealthDepartment/CD_Epid/pdfs/MRSA_Fact_Sheet.pdf