MRSA - Prevention
Alternative Names
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA); Hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA)
Prevention:
Careful attention to personal hygiene is key to avoiding MRSA infections.
- Wash your hands frequently, especially if visiting someone in a hospital or long-term care facility.
- Make sure all doctors, nurses, and other health care providers wash their hands before examining you.
- Do not share personal items such as towels or razors with another person -- MRSA can be transmitted through contaminated items.
- Cover all wounds with a clean bandage, and avoid contact with other peopleā ' s soiled bandages.
- If you share sporting equipment, clean it first with antiseptic solution.
- Avoid common whirlpools or saunas if another participant has an open sore.
- Make sure that shared bathing facilities are clean.
- Reviewed last on: 9/28/2008
- David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, PhD, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
References
Siegel JD, Rhinehart E, Jackson M, Chiarello L; Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. Management of multi-drug resistant organisms in healthcare settings, 2006. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed January 25, 2008.
Nicolle L. Community-acquired MRSA: a practitioner's guide. CMAJ. 2006;175:145.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Epidemiology and management of MRSA in the Community. October 26, 2007. Accessed January 25, 2008.
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