For children, the most common place of infection is through a simple cut or scrape. The symptoms of MRSA can be like other health conditions. Make sure your child sees his or her health care provider for a diagnosis.
He or she will give your child a physical exam. Your child may also have tests, such as:. It will also depend on how severe the condition is. If caught early, a MRSA infection can be easy to treat.
If your child has a mild MRSA skin infection, the health care provider will likely treat it by opening the infected sore and draining out the fluid pus. You might be given a prescription antibiotic ointment to use on your child. Your child might need to take antibiotic medicine by mouth. If the infection has spread to other parts of the body, your child may need treatment with IV antibiotics in the hospital.
In some cases, such as infection of the joints, your child may need surgery to drain the infection. Many infections can be cured within one week, but others may take longer.
Your health care provider may want to follow up and make sure the infection is gone. Another way to manage MRSA infection is to remove the bacteria from places where they often live and grow, such as the nose. Our Division of Infectious Diseases is the major referral center for infectious diseases in the Washington, D. Share your birthday with a child. Celebrate your life, and give a chance to someone who desperately wants to have as many as you.
We care about your privacy. Read about your rights and how we protect your data. In this section More on this Topic. Dismiss Alert. Infectious Diseases. What is a Staph infection? It can be life-threatening if it spreads to the lungs, the bloodstream or other organs. MRSA infection can be harder to treat than other staph infections. But other oral or IV intravenous antibiotics can successfully treat the infection. But because healthcare providers prescribed antibiotics too often , Staph aureus was able to change again around the year and become resistant to methicillin.
If the collection of pus is an inch or two in diameter, your doctor can make a small cut or incision in the skin and squeeze the pus out. Nature usually handles the rest without antibiotics.
Children infected with boils, abscesses, or cellulitis can have a culture taken by their doctor to determine the best antibiotic choice. If the abscess is very small, sometimes antibiotics can treat the infection without the need for an incision.
Very large abscesses, especially if there is also fever, need to be drained. Then the doctor prescribes one of the antibiotics that kills MRSA. This can sometimes be done as an outpatient procedure at the hospital, but young children often require a short admission to the hospital. If you visit someone in the hospital when you are pregnant, always wash your hands afterward and wear a mask and gloves.
It's a good idea to wash your clothes in the hottest temperature water recommended once you get home, too. If you do get a MRSA infection during pregnancy, it can be treated. All wound drainage can be contained throughout the day without having to change the dressing or bandage at work or school. Until skin infections are healed, children with MRSA skin infections should not use whirlpools or swimming pools or participate in contact sports or other physical activity in which bandages or dressings may fall off.
Even if active infections go away, you can still have MRSA bacteria on your skin and in your nose. This means you are now a carrier of MRSA.
You may not get sick or have any more skin infections, but you can spread MRSA to others. It is not fully understood why some people are carriers of MRSA, yet don't get infections. If your child has MRSA, teach him or her what it means to have a contagious infection.
Make a plan with your child care provider to reduce the risk of spreading MRSA to other children. If your child is in school, make a plan with the school nurse.
James A. Within the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Wilde is a member of Section on Infectious Diseases and the Georgia chapter. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Turn on more accessible mode. Turn off more accessible mode.
Skip Ribbon Commands. Pus or a cloudy fluid can drain from the wound and a yellow crust can develop. How Do Staph Infections Spread? Staph bacteria can spread: when someone touches a contaminated surface from person to person, especially in group living situations like college dorms.
Usually this happens when people with skin infections share personal things like bed linens, towels, or clothing. How Are Staph Infections Treated? Most small staph skin infections can be treated at home: Soak the affected area in warm water or apply warm, moist washcloths. Use a cloth or towel only once when you soak or clean an area of infected skin. Then, wash them in soap and hot water and dry them fully in a clothes dryer.
Put a heating pad or a hot water bottle to the skin for about 20 minutes, three or four times a day. Apply antibiotic ointment, if recommended by your doctor.
Give pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen to ease pain until the infection goes away. Follow the package directions on how much to give and how often. Cover the skin with a clean dressing or bandage. To help prevent a staph infection from spreading to other parts of the body: Don't directly touch the infected skin.
Keep the area covered whenever possible. Use a towel only once when you clean or dry the area. After using, wash the towel in hot water. Or use disposable towels. Washing hands well and often is key to preventing staph infections. Clean fingernails and keep them trimmed short. Change underwear daily. Also, follow our instructions to keep the infected area: Clean. Covered with bandages or dressings. Keep the household clean by: Disinfecting surfaces that may be touched by others, such as counters, phones, and computers.
Washing bed linens and towels in hot water weekly. Before your family starts decolonization, we must treat anyone who has: Staph boils or pustules. Eczema or atopic dermatitis. Treatment must continue until all signs of skin infection are gone.
Decolonization All family members need to follow these steps for 7 days in a row. Take a daily bath or shower Use Hibiclens antiseptic soap or a bleach bath. For a bleach bath, add a half cup of bleach to a quarter-filled tub of water, or one cup of bleach to a half-filled tub. Wash from scalp to toes, except the face, then rinse thoroughly with water. Scrub all 20 nails hands and feet for 1 minute with a nail brush. Remove artificial nails and fingernail polish before scrubbing.
Apply skin moisturizer for dry skin. Apply to any other areas that were infected. Do laundry Wash towels and all clothing that touches your body, daily.
Wash bed sheets every 2 to 3 days. Follow-Up Care After your family completes the 7-day decolonization, follow these steps to keep staph from coming back: Use the bleach bath once or twice a week or less often.
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