Protect yourself against staph infections
CARLA GWALTNEY OWENS Sentinel Writer

Wash your hands! Isn't that what Mama always said? We'll it might be some of the best instruction we ever received from our mothers.

According to Clay County Health Department Director Janice Patterson, hands washing and good hygiene are the primary ways to keep from becoming infected with MRSA or staph, which is a bacterial infection of the skin. Patterson said that staph, as it is commonly called, has been around for years. Patterson said there have been several cases in Clay County over the years and the bacterial infection is commonly found among athletic teams, jails, hospitals and nursing homes - places where large numbers of people are in close proximity to one another.

However, the staph bacteria is now being found more commonly among the general population and schools across the country are reporting an increase in the number of cases they are seeing among students. Patterson explained that the staph bacteria is smart and has, over the years, mutated and become resistant to common antibiotics that have always been used to treat the skin infection.

Patterson said that this is why it is so important for parents to be aware of any bump or pimple that appears on their child's skin. Patterson said that health care professionals are aware of the more resistant strain of staph that is affecting the general public and are aggressively treating any skin infection rapidly.

In years past, Patterson explained, doctors might wait to treat a skin infection with strong antibiotics, opting for more common ones like Penicillin. However, now they take a very aggressive stance and treat any infection with strong antibiotics which staph is not resistant to. "We assume it's the worse," Patterson said of patients that come in with skin infections, "and treat them with the appropriate antibiotics."

Patterson said that it is important for parents to be proactive and keep a close watch on their children and get medical help at the first sign of a skin infection, whether or not they think it is staph.

Staph begins as a small bump that resembles a pimple or bug bite. But instead of going away after a day or two, it becomes red, swollen and sometimes becomes hot and painful to touch. The bump becomes larger and fills with pus. Parents should be aware and attentive to any bumps that appear on their child's skin and watch them closely.

Patterson said schools are working hard to make sure children are using good hygiene and washing hands frequently. Patterson encourages parents to make sure children are practicing good hygiene at home as well.

Some of the tips that have been given by the State of North Carolina include not sharing personal items, such as bath towels and razors. The staph infection cannot be spread through casual contact, Patterson stressed. It cannot spread from desks, pencils or water fountains. It can only be spread by coming into direct contact with a person's wound or pus from a wound. This is why, Patterson added, it is important for anyone who has a skin lesion to keep it covered at all times.

Hand washing is of up most importance, as it keeps germs, like staph, the common cold and the fluvirus, from spreading. A good tip for kids is to tell them to wash their hands with warm, soapy water while singing their ABC's, which helps them to wash for the appropriate amount of time.

Patterson cautioned parents to be proactive and do not assume that a child's bump is okay. Have them checked out by a health care professional and treated properly. The danger with staph is when it goes untreated for too long, increasing the recovery time and the chance of it being spread from one child to another. If caught early, it can be effectively treated with the right antibiotics.

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