Over the past few years some dangerous Staph bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics. Only recently has the news media focused on this serious new health problem, which is of urgent concern to our schools. These killer bacteria, called methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus or "MRSA", have recently caused panic in schools in the USA. Some infected students have become seriously ill and some have died after these antibiotic resistant bacteria invaded their blood stream. Most Staph bacteria only causes minor skin infections and are treated with antibiotics. Serious and deadly infections however, develop when antibiotic resistant bacteria (MRSA) is involved. The best methods for prevention of all types of Stap infections involve general cleaning strategies which can be incorporated into the routine cleaning practices at all schools. Here are some tips for limiting the possibility of Staph bacteria infecting your students:
1.) Establish a daily and routine environmental cleaning schedule for your school restrooms and dining areas. The cleaning staff should be trained and monitored to be sure they understand and practice thorough and effective cleaning procedures. Your local health department can provide advice on procedures.
2.)Use germicidal products or a solution of 1 part chlorine bleach and 9 part water to clean any surface that is subject to frequent touching by students, including light switches, doorknobs, faucet handles, hand rails and all restroom fixtures. Use soap and water at a minimum, preferably an all-purpose cleaner, for a daily cleaning of all other floors and surfaces.
3.) Install automatic soap dispensers, automatic hand dryers and automatic paper towel dispensers. These touch-free automatic dispensers will reduce student's exposure to appliances that are frequently the source of hand transmitted bacteria. like Staph. If your school still utilizes the old manual hands-on dispensers it will be nearly impossible to clean them frequently enough to eliminate the spread of bacteria.
4.) Immediately clean up any surface that has a visible body fluid contamination such as blood, urine or other body fluid.
5.) Make sure automatic soap dispensers and automatic paper towel dispensers are filled with product at all times. This should be part of the cleaning personnel daily routine. Refill the dispensers daily.
6.) Encourage good hygiene. Students should be cautioned against sharing water bottles and personal items, encourages to shower after gym classes and other physical activities.
7.) Require that students cover cuts, abrasions and lesions with a proper dressing (bandage) until healed. Athletics staff should monitor this closely among their athletes.
8.) Clean all items used in athletic activities with an all-purpose cleaner and wash uniforms after each use.
9.) Publish, articulate and post reminders to staff and employees the importance of frequent hand washing with soap and water or the use of germicidal hand gels. Your schools restrooms and cafeteria should have warning signs posted in highly visible areas reminding everyone that hand washing is a requirement of your facility and is everyone's responsibility.
Following these simple cleaning routines will greatly reduce you schools risk of bacterial infections of all types, including Staph and viruses, such as the flu, and the common cold.
A certain strain of staph infection, known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is problematically resistant to a broad spectrum of antibiotics, except for a very small few of the most powerful ones. Staph is a bacterium that commonly exists harmlessly on the skin, under fingernails, and in the nostrils of about 30 % of our population, according the the 'U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention'. But, about 1 % of the population contacts the antibiotic resistant strain, known as MRSA, and this form of staph infection can cause a very serious skin infection, and an internal infection as well.
This type of staph infection can circulate rather quickly in common athletic areas such as gyms and fitness centers. This potentially harmful bacteria can be found on sports equipment, in locker rooms, and on personal hygiene care items such as towels, soaps, and razors. MRSA infections are contagiously spread by skin-to-skin contact through an open cut wound, or contact through personal hygiene care items.
A known outbreak in a community should, therefore, have everyone seriously paying attention in keeping sports equipment, and other suspected areas, properly sanitized. Warnings, also, need to be issued in the advising of no sharing of personal care items.
People with healthy immune systems are not as susceptible to succumbing to this type of infection as those individuals who have a weaker immune system resistance. These individuals can become colonized with this type of deadly infection rather quickly. Lesions on the skin may first appear to be a spider bite or a boil. But, experts on staph infections claim that about 25 % of these types of skin infections end up requiring hospitalization. They cause infections of the bloodstream, central nervous system, heart valves, bones, and pneumonia.
In fact, over the last four to five years 95% of staph infections turn out to be MRSA. MRSA can also carry a gene mutation that can destroy white blood cells and infect other body tissues and organs. MRSA infections start out as small red bumps on the skin that can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses. Sometimes the bacteria remains confined on the skin but, it can also burrow deep inside your body. Causes of MRSA include:
The results of decades of unnecessary and excessive antibiotic use. The overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming operations, resulting in feedlot run off that migrates to municipal water systems. Continued unnecessary and excessive antibiotic use contributes to their ineffectiveness of other types of antibiotics.
Risk factors for contacting a MRSA infection are:
A current or recent hospitalization. Being a resident of a long-term health care facility. Requiring dialysis, catheterization, feeding tubes, or other invasive hospital proceedures. Have been treated with fluoroquinolones ( a type of antibiotics) such as ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, levofloxacin, and cephalosporin.
Doctors diagnose MRSA by obtaining a tissue sample of nasal secretions. The sample is sent to a lab and results are returned within 48 hours. There are some newer tests, becoming more widely available, that can detect staph DNA in a shorter amount of time. Vancomycin is one of the few antibiotics left, that is still effective against hospital strains of MRSA. Be advised, however, that it is no longer effective in every single case.
There is some promising news, however, on how you can protect yourself against an infection with an antibiotic resistant form of staph infection, in a more natural way. Regularly consuming good bacteria nutrition, like what you will find in homemade fermented foods and beverages, can help protect you from developing this dangerous type of infection.
These friendly germs, in abundant populations, will help provide your skin, digestive tract, and immune system with a very powerful, protective barrier against disease causing pathogens such as a common staph infection, or a more problematic and antibiotic resistant MRSA infection..
In light of what is not working on the drug treatment battleground scene with antibiotics, which approach do you believe has a more common sense potential to solve this problem?
Flushing out potentially harmful disease causing staphylococcus bacterias out of your internal system with nothing much else, in fluids, but water is another a good way to avoid a serious staph infection like MRSA.
You can take more control in naturally building up your immune system strength, in fighting off many other different types of disease causing bacterial infections this way also. You can make your intestinal system more fit, and healthier, with a boosted diet of good bacteria nutrition and, of course, by keeping yourself properly hydrated and cleansed in adding more water consumption to your daily diet routine.
Both Mark Thevenot & Brenda Skidmore are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mark Thevenot has sinced written about articles on various topics from Infections, Modelling and Computers and The Internet. Mark Thevenot authors family-friendly health articles. His website is where visitors can print a free prescription discount card. Mark Thevenot's top article generates over 60500 views. to your Favourites.
Brenda Skidmore has sinced written about articles on various topics from Nutrition, Infections and Health. Brenda Skidmore has spent the last four plus years actively researching natural health care alternatives. It is her sincere desire to empower others by sharing this important information. To improve your health today visit. Brenda Skidmore's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.