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A Parent's Guide to MRSA in California
What You Need To Know
California Department of Public Health
Division of Communicable Disease Control
Infectious Diseases Branch
www.cdph.ca.gov
| If soap and running water is not available and hands do not have visible dirt on them, staph germs can be killed by using an alcohol-based hand rub.
When should hands be washed?
- Whenever the skin comes into contact with other people or with shared surfaces or equipment;
- Before and after athletic practice, games, or working out;
- After sneezing, coughing, blowing or touching the nose;
- Before and after touching the eyes, nose, or mouth, or skin that has open sores, boils and skin rashes;
- After using the toilet or urinal;
- After touching any item soiled with wound fluids, such as bandages, dressings or bedding;
- After cleaning the bathroom, changing your bedding, or doing laundry; and
- Before preparing food, eating, or drinking.
| What else can be done to help prevent MRSA and staph infections?
- Bathe regularly,
- Take good care of the skin; avoid skin damage, clean damaged skin promptly with soap and water,
- Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed. Pus from infected wounds can contain staph and MRSA.
- Don't share personal items such as towels, clothing, or other items that touch skin, and use a barrier (e.g., clothing or a towel) between your skin and shared equipment such as weight-training benches.
- Wash soiled clothes, sheets, and towels with water and laundry detergent and dry completely in a hot dryer.
- For more information about MRSA and staph infections, contact your doctor, local health department or school nurse.
| References:
California Department of Public Health, MRSA for Athletes: What You Need to Know, http://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/discond/Documents/CAMRSAForAthletes.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Questions and Answers about Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Schools, http://www.cdc.gov/Features/MRSAinSchools/
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor
Kimberly Belshé, Secretary
Health and Human Services Agency
Mark B Horton, MD, MSPH, Director
California Department of Public Health
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