MRSA Information

One school. One team.

In order to provide clear and accurate information about MRSA, the Vermont Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) offer overviews about MRSA and reasonable precautions for its prevention. Please read this information and access the web sites from both the VT Dept. of Health and the CDC. (The web sites are given here.)

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

Go to http://healthvermont.gov/prevent/MRSA.aspx#advisory for the Vermont Department of Health’s full statement on MRSA and to watch a podcast about MRSA.

What you should know about Staph and MRSA

Staphylococcus aureus (known as staph) is a very common bacterium that can live on the skin or in the noses of healthy people.
Staph is a common cause of skin lesions, including pimples and boils.
Staph can sometimes lead to more serious infections in the skin and other sites on the body.
Some staph infections are harder to treat because the bacteria have become resistant over time to the antibiotics usually used to treat these infections.
MRSA
MRSA is a type of staph infection that has become resistant to some antibiotics.
MRSA infections can be mild or very serious
MRSA infection is preventable and treatable.

MRSA in a community is different than in a health care setting.

MRSA is rarely serious when contracted in the community setting, where it typically appears as an easily treatable skin infection.
MRSA acquired in the hospital or health care setting is a different strain and more serious than MRSA acquired in the community.
MRSA infection can be life-threatening to older people and those with weakened immune systems.
Patients in hospitals, nursing homes and health care facilities such as dialysis centers are most at risk for serious infection when open wounds, burns or tubes inserted in their bodies provide a pathway for infection to be carried through the bloodstream and internal organs.

MRSA is preventable and treatable
MRSA is spread through breaks in the skin, by skin to skin contact or, less often, by touching surfaces that have MRSA on them.
Simple measures can be taken to prevent MRSA infections:

1) Wash hands often and well
2) Shower after exercise
3) Cover cuts, scrapes and wounds with bandages until healed
4) Don’t share personal items such as used razors, towels or other objects that could pass bacteria from one person’s skin to another
5) Place barriers between skin and shared equipment like weightlifting benches, and sanitize frequently touched surfaces.

If you think you have an infected wound, see your medical care provider. MRSA can be diagnosed only through a laboratory test.
MRSA infections are treatable. Treatment depends on the site of the infection and the severity of the infection. Not all infections require oral antibiotics.

Information for Parents

MRSA infections can be very mild or very serious, but MRSA acquired in the hospital or health care setting is a different strain and more serious than MRSA acquired in the community – at home, at school or day care, etc. MRSA rarely causes serious illness when acquired in the community.
MRSA is treatable and, like other bacterial infections, simple precautions will help prevent infection:
Clean wounds and cover them with a clean, dry bandage. Wounds that do not heal properly need medical attention. The only way to determine if an infection is caused by MRSA is through laboratory testing ordered by a physician or other health care provider.
Teach children to wash their hands regularly, such as before eating and after toileting.
Be sure family members use antibiotics properly. Take all that are prescribed, even if the symptoms stop before the prescription is used up. Do not share prescriptions.
Children should wash their hands before and after eating, after toileting, and after playing. They should not share equipment, clothing, towels, or other personal items.
Wash clothes and towels with hot water and detergent.

Information for Educators and Child Care Providers

Observe children for open wounds. If any wounds are draining or contain pus, refer the child to the school nurse.
Encourage hand washing before eating and after toileting.
Coaches should ensure that athletes wash their hands, cover their wounds, and not share personal items and towels.
Public Health Reporting

Suspected outbreaks of staph infections should be reported to the district health office.
Health department staff may be able to provide additional guidance in identifying causes of transmission, and recommendations for reducing the risk to children and staff.

This information is from the Center for Disease Control (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/Features/MRSAinSchools/#q7

Answers to commonly asked questions about preventing the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin infections.

CDC, along with parents and school officials, wants to do everything possible to protect students from MRSA skin infections. These are commonly asked questions that will help parents and school officials prevent the spread of MRSA in schools.

MRSA Facts

• What type of infection does MRSA cause?

• How is MRSA transmitted?

• In what settings do MRSA skin infections occur?

• How do I protect myself from MRSA?

• Should schools close because of a MRSA infection?

• Should the school be closed to be cleaned or disinfected when an MRSA infection occurs?

• Should the entire school community be notified of every MRSA infection?

• Should the school be notified that my child has an MRSA infection?

• Should students with MRSA skin infections be excluded from attending school?

• I have an MRSA skin infection. How do I prevent spreading it to others?

What type of infections does MRSA cause?

• In the community most MRSA infections are skin infections that may appear as pustules or boils which often are red, swollen, painful, or have pus or other drainage. These skin infections commonly occur at sites of visible skin trauma, such as cuts and abrasions, and areas of the body covered by hair (e.g., back of neck, groin, buttock, armpit, beard area of men).

• Almost all MRSA skin infections can be effectively treated by drainage of pus with or without antibiotics. More serious infections, such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, or bone infections, are very rare in healthy people who get MRSA skin infections.

How is MRSA transmitted?

• MRSA is usually transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with shared items or surfaces that have come into contact with someone else’s infection (e.g., towels, used bandages).

In what settings do MRSA skin infections occur?

• MRSA skin infections can occur anywhere.

• Some settings have factors that make it easier for MRSA to be transmitted.

• These factors, referred to as the 5 C’s, are as follows: Crowding, frequent skin-to-skin Contact, Compromised skin (i.e., cuts or abrasions), Contaminated items and surfaces, and lack of Cleanliness.

• Locations where the 5 C’s are common include schools, dormitories, military barracks, households, correctional facilities, and daycare centers.

How do I protect myself from getting MRSA?

• You can protect yourself by:

Photo: Hands being washed

• practicing good hygiene (e.g., keeping your hands clean by washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and showering immediately after participating in exercise);

• covering skin trauma such as abrasions or cuts with a clean dry bandage until healed;

• avoiding sharing personal items (e.g., towels, razors) that come into contact with your bare skin; and using a barrier (e.g., clothing or a towel) between your skin and shared equipment such as weight-training benches;

• maintaining a clean environment by establishing cleaning procedures for frequently touched surfaces and surfaces that come into direct contact with people’s skin.

Should schools close because of an MRSA infection?

• The decision to close a school for any communicable disease should be made by school officials in consultation with local and/or state public health officials. However, in most cases, it is not necessary to close schools because of an MRSA infection in a student. It is important to note that MRSA transmission can be prevented by simple measures such as hand hygiene and covering infections.

Photo: Students

Should the school be closed to be cleaned or disinfected when an MRSA infection occurs?

• Covering infections will greatly reduce the risks of surfaces becoming contaminated with MRSA. In general it is not necessary to close schools to “disinfect” them when MRSA infections occur. MRSA skin infections are transmitted primarily by skin-to-skin contact and contact with surfaces that have come into contact with someone else’s infection.

• When MRSA skin infections occur, cleaning and disinfection should be performed on surfaces that are likely to contact uncovered or poorly covered infections.

• Cleaning surfaces with detergent-based cleaners or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered disinfectants is effective at removing MRSA from the environment.

• It is important to read the instruction labels on all cleaners to make sure they are used safely and appropriately.

• Environmental cleaners and disinfectants should not be used to treat infections.

• The EPA provides a list of EPA-registered products effective against MRSA: http://epa.gov/oppad001/chemregindex.htm

Should the entire school community be notified of every MRSA infection?

• Usually, it should not be necessary to inform the entire school community about a single MRSA infection. When an MRSA infection occurs within the school population, the school nurse and school physician should determine, based on their medical judgment, whether some or all students, parents and staff should be notified. Consultation with the local public health authorities should be used to guide this decision.

• Remember that staphylococcus (staph) bacteria, including MRSA, have been and remain a common cause of skin infections.

Should the school be notified that my child has an MRSA infection?

• Consult with your school about its policy for notification of skin infections.

Should students with MRSA skin infections be excluded from attending school?

• Unless directed by a physician, students with MRSA infections should not be excluded from attending school.

• Exclusion from school and sports activities should be reserved for those with wound drainage (“pus”) that cannot be covered and contained with a clean, dry bandage and for those who cannot maintain good personal hygiene.

I have an MRSA skin infection. How do I prevent spreading it to others?

• Cover your wound. Keep wounds that are draining or have pus covered with clean, dry bandages until healed. Follow your healthcare provider’s instructions on proper care of the wound. Pus from infected wounds can contain staph, including MRSA, so keeping the infection covered will help prevent the spread to others. Bandages and tape can be discarded with the regular trash.

• Clean your hands frequently. You, your family, and others in close contact should wash their hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially after changing the bandage or touching the infected wound.

• Do not share personal items. Avoid sharing personal items, such as towels, washcloths, razors, clothing, or uniforms, that may have had contact with the infected wound or bandage. Wash sheets, towels, and clothes that become soiled with water and laundry detergent. Use a dryer to dry clothes completely.