New Brothers, Inc.

This is my PSA (public service announcement) for MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a bacterial infection that is highly resistant to most antibiotics. It can infect skin, tendons, muscle, bone, and other organs and bodily systems. We were fortunate, because MRSA did not get beyond our skin. However, it can be disfiguring and debilitating, even leading to death.

Over the past five weeks I have learned a few things that I hope will help prevent me or my loved ones from ever being sick with MRSA again---or for the first time. I am sharing this information in hopes it will help others, too. I am not an expert, or a medical professional. I have simply experienced MRSA in various forms, both personally and in those I love, and have learned a lot about this dreaded bacteria.


WHAT I HAVE LEARNED
1) MRSA is everywhere. It is a very common form of staph that is found in about a third of the population. It lives on our skin or in our nasal passages. A person can carry MRSA, or be "colonized," without being sick. The key is keeping it outside of the body. Allow me to repeat that: the key is to keep it outside of the body.

2) There are two forms of MRSA, healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) and community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA). HA-MRSA occurs in people who have recently been hospitalized or had surgery. CA-MRSA occurs in people who are in a community setting, such as a college dorm, day care facility, sports team, the military, or prison. The occurrence of CA-MRSA is growing faster than HA-MRSA.

3) The MRSA bacteria can live outside the body, or on an object, for up to four hours.

4) Contact MRSA must have an opening.

5) You can't treat MRSA without antibiotics. We did treat many of Doug's sores successfully at home (before we knew it was MRSA), but we didn't get rid of the infection from his body.

6) You have to be pushy sometimes. The first medical professional who treated Doug diagnosed him with a "very bad skin infection." Mind you, his right hand was swollen more than twice its normal size! She really just didn't have a clue what she was seeing. She gave him a prescription, but Doug knew he wasn't getting better. I was very concerned about his hand, which we had begun treating ourselves (see #6 above), because it was such a deep infection. I was "this close" to take him to the E.R., but I ultimately trusted the nurse practitioner. Doug, however, insisted on seeing the doctor. It took about a week of him being very politely pushy to get seen, but it was worth it. The M.D. immediately suspected MRSA and sent him to the E.R..


WHAT TO LOOK FOR
1) MRSA first appears as a pimple, boil, or spider bite---yet, it's just a little different, a little worse than normal. It swells, gets red, may hurt, may itch, and may be warm to the touch. If you see anything like this ever, don't touch it! If it seems worse than normal, see a doctor!

2) MRSA has other symptoms. If it seems like you have a cold or flu, feel run-down, have diarrhea, or fatigue---and find a pustule as described above, see a doctor!

3) The worst affects of MRSA, which include infection in your vital organs and death, are a result of a lack of treatment. When in doubt, see a doctor!


HOW TO AVOID MRSA
Prevention is the key.

1) Make sure medical professionals always wash their hands before touching you. Make sure any thing they do that requires them to open your skin is done under sterile conditions (gloves, mask, gown, etc.).

2) Don't share personal items with anyone. This includes razors, soap, towels, etc.

3) Carry a good (60% alcohol) hand sanitizer with you. Never touch an open sore or pimple with dirty, unsanitized hands. Always clean and sanitize after wards, too.

4) Clean it and cover it. Any opening is an opportunity for staph to enter the body and make you sick. This is why God made Band-Aids. Keep cuts and wounds covered until healed. Don't touch your eyes, nose, or mouth with unclean hands. Never touch an open sore or pimple with dirty, unsanitized hands. Always clean and sanitize after wards, too.

5) Sanitize shared sports/exercise equipment, uniforms, supplies.

6) Avoid communal saunas and whirlpools. The heat keeps the bacteria alive.

7) Keep communal showers clean, such as in a gym or dorm. Doug was not allowed to shower in the hospital in order to contain the infection.

8) Use antibiotics as prescribed. Always finish them, even if you're all better. Don't save. Don't share them. Using them properly prevents resistance.

9) If you are treated for a skin infection, ask the doctor to test it for MRSA. This will help make sure you are getting the proper medications. A wrong medication can make recovery from MRSA more difficult.


GROUPS AT RISK FOR CA-MRSA
1) Children, because they get frequent cuts and scrapes and their immune systems are not fully mature.

2) People who play contact sports.

3) Living in crowded or unsanitary conditions.

4) People in college dorms, prisons, the military, day care centers, health care facilities.

5) Gay men. There is a new strain of CA-MRSA spreading rapidly amongst gay men in Boston and San Francisco. (Reported by the Mayo Clinic.)

6) People in close contact with health care workers.