Yesterday, I learned that our local elementary school had reported a case of MRSA. Usually if something is going around the school, a note comes home with my child. However, this school infection was actually reported as news on a local radio station, which caused me to do some research. Methicillin-Resistant Staph. Aureus, or MRSA as it is better known as, now kills more Americans than HIV/AIDS, according to a CDC report in the October 17, 2007 Journal of the American Medical Association.

Infections with resistant bacteria are on the rise among healthy children. Staph. Aureus, which is often called just “staph” are bacteria that are very common on the skin and in the noses of healthy kids. These bacteria can enter through a break in the skin and cause infections. They usually appear as little pimples or boils and are among the most common causes of skin infections.

Antibiotic resistant bacteria can spread rapidly through communities. Currently there are places in the USA were MRSA infections cause 75 percent of staph infections in otherwise normal children. Children who are in daycare centers or involved in sports that require close skin contact are more susceptible to infections.

If caught early, most of these infections can be treated successfully. However, the do occasionally progress to serious or even fatal infections. A previously healthy high school student died from MRSA this week. However, the infections are usually more common among children under two years old.

MRSA infections usually begin as infected bumps on the skin and may resemble infected insect or spider bites. You should be aware that the American Academy of Pediatrics says in their 2007 MRSA management alert that any suspected insect bite or spider bite should now be considered MRSA until proven otherwise.

Your child’s doctor can drain some of the pus from the middle of the lesion and send it for culture to determine if it is MRSA. A small infection can usually be treated by drainage in a previously healthy child. An appropriate oral antibiotic approved for treating MRSA such as TMP/SXT, clindamycin, or doxycycline for kids over age 8 may also be necessary. Large wounds or very sick children may need emergency treatment in the hospital.

Keep scrapes and cuts clean and covered to help prevent MRSA. Encourage hand washing with soap and water or instant hand sanitizers. When your children arrive home from sports, they should take a soapy shower.


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