MRSA

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I worked in an MRSA unit a while back and learned some interesting facts.

Since there were some questions about MRSA earlier, I thought I would

share the information that I had.

As we all know, and should practice, universal precautions are the number

one prevention to spreading the disease. Lack of using these precautions

is the number one way to get this disease. MRSA is not an airborne

disease unless the person has the disease in their respiratory tract and

is coughing. A person can be MRSA positive and not be infectious. This

is called colonization. The person, typically, is not sick and can not

pass along the disease. At this point they are carriers. If at any

point the infection starts to multiply, the person becomes infectious.

All wounds should be covered and, if coughing is present, wearing a mask.

It is not exactly know how long the virus will live outside the body but

the main theory is that it dies when it is dry. It is also not known how

long it takes for a person to be completely rid of the virus. It could

be months or years depending on several factors such as the person's age,

general health, etc. For example, a newborn with MRSA will likely not

have a positive test by the time they are two years old. But once a

person has MRSA, they are more susceptible to having it again than a

person that has never had it.

So, from our aspect in the field, we don't have a lot to worry about. As

it has been said earlier, it is not an easy disease to catch. Once

again, universal precautions, and if it's wet and not yours, don't touch.

Strautins, EMT-P

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