During the past four decades, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, has evolved from a controllable nuisance into a serious public health concern.
MRSA is largely a hospital-acquired infection, in fact, one of the most common. Recently, however, new strains have emerged in the community that are capable of causing severe infections in otherwise healthy people. These Community Acquired strains of MRSA are the most troubling. CA-MRSA is of great concern to public health professionals because of who it can affect. Unlike the hospital sources, which usually can be traced to a specific exposure, the origin of CA-MRSA infection can be elusive.
CA-MRSA skin infections are known to spread in crowded settings; in situations where there is close skin-to-skin contact; when personal items such as towels, razors, and sporting equipment is shared; when personal hygiene is compromised; and when health care is limited. Most often this antibiotic resistant strain enters the body through a cut or scrape and appears in the form of a skin or soft tissue infection, such as a boil or abscess. The skin lesion becomes red, swollen, and painful, often mistaken for a spider bite or severe pimple.
Though rare, CA-MRSA can develop very quickly into more serious, invasive infections, that can include bloodstream infections or pneumonia, leading to a variety of other symptoms including shortness of breath, fever, chills, and even death. CA-MRSA can be particularly dangerous in children because their immune systems are not fully developed, the elderly and the ill whose immune systems are compromised. This does not mean, however, that strong, healthy individuals in the prime of their life can’t be struck down from this frightening infection.
Just the opposite.
Researchers continue to study information about these cases in an attempt to determine why certain groups of people become ill when exposed to these strains. Researchers also continue to try to understand why high-incidence areas may appear. For example, for unknown reasons, severe outbreaks have occurred in Alaska, Georgia, and Louisiana. In fact, cases of MRSA, particularly the Community Acquired strains, have been in the news with an alarming frequency of late, and recently included more than 10 schools as well as a handful of government office buildings in and around New York State.
The best defense against spreading MRSA is to practice good hygiene, as follows:
- Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water. Scrub them briskly for at least 15 seconds, then dry them with a disposable towel and use another towel to turn off the faucet. When you don’t have access to soap and water, carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer containing at least 62 percent alcohol.
- Always shower promptly after exercising.
- Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed. Keep wounds that are draining or have pus covered with clean, dry bandages. Follow your healthcare provider’s instructions on proper care of the wound. Pus from infected wounds can contain S. aureus and MRSA, so keeping the infection covered will help prevent the spread to others. Bandages or tape can be discarded with regular trash.
- Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or bandages.
- Avoid sharing personal items, such as towels, washcloths, razors, clothes, or uniforms.
- Wash sheets, towels, and clothes that become soiled with water and laundry detergent; use bleach and hot water if possible. Drying clothes in a hot dryer, rather than air-drying, also helps kill bacteria in clothes.
Any home or property that has been exposed to this potent bug, as well as many others including C DIFF, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis, and many more, must be treated with the utmost caution until an experienced, knowledgeable technician, like those at Advanced Bio Treatment, who is skilled in the expert removal, cleaning and decontamination of these biohazardous agents.
Biohazard materials take the form of organic matter and blood, airborne pathogens, and other bodily fluids which pose a health hazard. In the aftermath of any trauma or illness, an accident or violent crime or the discovery of an unattended death, there exist bio hazards which require the attention of the trained professionals of a bio hazard cleanup service like ABT.
Airborne bio hazards enter the respiratory tract into the eyes, nose, and throat and will remain dormant or become active in a short time such as anthrax and tuberculosis.
Bloodborne biohazards cause illness and death in humans by entering the body through the eyes, throat, mucus membranes and even the skin. Some of these are: HIV, Hepatitis, C DIFF, MRSA, and STAPH. Blood cleanup and bio-hazard removal can result from any number of causes, but whether the trauma or contamination scene is your home, automobile, business, or an industrial facility, Advanced Bio Treatment can perform site remediation services which will return, through intensive bio clean up, the property to its original condition. If worried about the presence or spread of an infectious disease, we can help.
If you’re responsible for an office, day care center, church or the like, safety is always of utmost importance. You can’t afford to try deal with something as potentially serious as a infectious disease outbreak on your own. That’s why we’re here. Advanced Bio Treatment will research your particular problem and give you a cleanup and sanitation plan tailored to your situation. We are well trained, OSHA compliant, and meets all EPA guidelines for disposal of infectious material.
The health hazards posed by Bird Flu, Swine Flu or H1N1, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus infections or MRSA have been all over the news a lately and the potential for the spread of infectious diseases has never been higher. However, whether you need a Staph infection cleanup, C-DIFF cleanup, or any other infectious disease cleanup, the sanitation and decontamination technicians here at ABT have the cleanup skills protect you and yours.
Regardless of whether the scene is at your home and personal property, a commercial business, or industrial site, we’ll strictly adhere to OSHA regulations and API Worksafe guidelines in our cleanup efforts. We only deploy EPA registered hospital grade cleansers and disinfectants.
If you need trauma, accidental death, or cleanup guidance involving contagious diseases, have questions about your payment options or current insurance policy covers don’t hesitate to give Advanced Bio Treatment a call at: 800-295-1684.
