Need Help - MRSA Related

A.,
I have recently been reading a lot about MRSA in the newspaper, as it seems high school athletes are getting it in locker rooms. I also did clinicals in a hospital setting where patients would have MRSA.
Make sure your BF keeps the wound covered with a bandage at all times and that he washes his hands frequently and always before playing with your son. They do have antibiotics that treat it, MRSA becomes a real problem when in RARE instances it gets into the blood stream and travels to organs. Just watch your son and if he displays sickness that does not get better take him to the ER and mention that he could have been exposed to MRSA.
I understand your concern--this has been on my mind lately also.
Good Luck,
K.
EDIT+++++
I just read the other responses about the solution that kills MRSA---I have a feeling that is how we got this resistant strain in the first place--over use of antibiotic drugs and topical killers. MRSA commonly lives in our nose and on our skin but only becomes a problem for some people, if we start to disinfect every surface with a MRSA killer the bacteria will continue to mutate and eventually become resistant making it even harder to help people who become infected with it. Basic hand washing/hygiene as well as a healthy immune system might be a smarter solution. Just my opinion!
K.

A.. my friend just got out of the hospital, after having this. Basically the "rules of the game" are, hand wash, hand wash, hand wash. She will never know how she got the infection and noone else can get it if they hand wash hand wash hand wash. Not her kids, nor her husband got it. She could have picked it up from a shopping cart, then didnt wash her hands and touched an opened wound. If your son has no open wounds, no problem. If he has open wounds, he needs to make certain NOT to touch them even with clean hands. I beleive the stats are 1 in 3 people are carriers of the infection anyways and animals are carriers.

Ingrown hairs/boils are all staph infections also. Any staph infection has the potential to be serious, most arent if they dont enter the blood stream. ANY infection that does enter the blood stream is potentially life threatening regardless if it is MRSA or not. Throughly cleaning any wound no matter how "unserious" you think is it, is a great way to reduce any infection.

Dependance on antibiotics to cure this may not work either, since over the course of your life too many antibiotics cause you to become immune to them.

I also just read an article this morning that said the over use of antibacterial soap is not good either, because there is a certain chemical in the soap, that begins with a "T" that helps your body over time resist the will to fight infection. Regular non germicidal, non anti bacteria soap is just as good and dont forget the finger nails.

Any person can be tested to see if they carry the MRSA virus, but even if you come back positive, their is nothing the docs can do for you, except to tell you to not touch open wounds.

Hope that helps.

K.
www.arkparties.com

Hi A., this is a bit off-topic, but if your son has been on antibiotics for many months, did his doctor mention taking a probiotic to help keep the good bacteria up & help his immunity system? My son has been on antibiotics 3-5 times/year for 2 years now & he is 3.5 yrs old now. I have found that he is more susceptible to colds/illnesses because his immunity is down due to the antibiotics and the illnesses last for 3-4 weeks minimum with severe congestion leading to sinus infections/ear infections. I contacted an alternative medical doctor that deals with immunity related issues and health issues that are recurring. He works with patients through various methods like supplements and they told me our son could be sensitive to wheat & dairy now because his immune system is low. They suggested a probiotic with live cultures in the 900 billion range. The most I've found at health stores like Vitamin Shoppe is 13 billion. To get him to take the probiotic, I've been breaking up 4 capsules & adding the powder inside to some applesauce with each meal. I'm also and slowly cutting out wheat and dairy to see if his congestion improves and the lengths of his colds lessen. Just a side note for you to consider. My doctor told me lots of hand washing too for MSRA. We've been hand washing like crazy since my son is in preschool and lots of afterschool activities around other kids. Hope this helps! Judy

My husband recently went through a bout of MRSA on his leg. As others have said, hygiene is key to preventing the spread. Use a clean towel and washcloth each time each person showers. Scrub down the shower. Keep a bottle of bleach/water solution for cleaning surfaces. Your bf should keep the area covered and anything that comes in contact with the sore i.e. t-shirt etc. should be washed in hot water and dried in a hot dryer. I read an article in RD a few months back about MRSA and how it had killed a 3 month old and a young highschooler boy. I spoke with my doctor about it. He explained there are 2 main types of MRSA, a hospital/nursing home and a community type. He said the community type is definitely on the rise but it is still treatable. I told him about the article and he asked if either case involved meningitis or if another illness was associated with it, the article did not mention it. I got the distinct impression from him that this was blown slightly out of proportion. The nursing home/hospital type is much more serious. Hope this info helps.

Hi... if you want to help keep your son from getting this, if it is MRSA, the key is good hygeine. Make sure your BF keeps the wound clean and always wash hands. Basically don't let your son touch the wound and make sure he stays clean. In terms of the contagious period, can't really say how long. Hopefully you should know by now if it is MRSA or not.
Oh... and this is all from my husband, he is an internal medicine doctor.

the best sites for current medical info on any topic...

www.mayoclinic.com
(search MRSA)

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/underst...

Contact your doctor! I'm sure you have regular contact with your sons physician due to his issues. They will be able to help advise you. They also need to be aware of your BF's condition so if complications arise with your son they already have the info.