MRSA is the result of decades of often unnecessary antibiotic use. For years, antibiotics have been prescribed for colds, flu and other viral infections that don't respond to these drugs. Even when antibiotics are used appropriately, they contribute to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria because they don't destroy every germ they target. Bacteria live on an evolutionary fast track, so germs that survive treatment with one antibiotic soon learn to resist others.
Because hospital and community strains of MRSA generally occur in different settings, the risk factors for the two strains differ. MRSA infections can resist the effects of many common antibiotics, so they're more difficult to treat. This can allow the infections to spread and sometimes become life-threatening.
MRSA infections may affect your:. Visitors and health care workers caring for people in isolation may need to wear protective garments.
They also must follow strict hand hygiene procedures. For example, health care workers can help prevent HA-MRSA by washing their hands with soap and water or using hand sanitizer before and after each clinical appointment. Hospital rooms, surfaces and equipment, as well as laundry items, need to be properly disinfected and cleaned regularly. What if I see these symptoms? Getting medical care early makes it less likely that the infection will become serious.
If you or someone in your family experiences the signs and symptoms of MRSA: Contact your healthcare provider, especially if the symptoms are accompanied by a fever. Do not pick at or pop the sore. Cover the area with clean, dry bandages until you can see a healthcare provider. Clean your hands often.
Cover your wounds with clean, dry bandages until healed. Pus from infected wounds can contain MRSA. Throw away bandages and tape with the regular trash.
You, your family, and others in close contact should wash hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub, especially: after changing a bandage after touching an infected wound after touching dirty clothes Do not share personal items such as towels, washcloths, razors, and clothing, including uniforms.
Wash laundry before use by others and clean your hands after touching dirty clothes. Get Email Updates. To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: Email Address. If you're visiting someone in hospital, clean your hands before and after entering the ward and before touching the person.
Gel or wipes are often placed by patients' beds and at the entrance to wards. It's also a good idea to put a dressing over any breaks in your skin, such as sores or cuts, to stop MRSA getting into your body. Get more advice about visiting someone in hospital.
This video explains how MRSA is caught, what happens when you have it and how to prevent infection. Page last reviewed: 24 March Next review due: 24 March You can get MRSA on your skin by: touching someone who has it sharing things like towels, sheets and clothes with someone who has MRSA on their skin touching surfaces or objects that have MRSA on them Getting MRSA on your skin will not make you ill, and it may go away in a few hours, days, weeks or months without you noticing.
People staying in hospital are most at risk of this happening because: they often have a way for the bacteria to get into their body, such as a wound, burn , feeding tube, drip into a vein, or urinary catheter they may have other serious health problems that mean their body is less able to fight off the bacteria they're in close contact with a large number of people, so the bacteria can spread more easily Healthy people, including children and pregnant women, are not usually at risk of MRSA infections.
If MRSA gets deeper into your skin, it can cause: swelling warmth pain pus redness, but this may be less visible on darker skin If it gets further into your body, it can also cause: a high temperature chills aches and pains dizziness confusion Tell a member of staff if you get these symptoms while in hospital. Screening and testing for MRSA If you need to go into hospital and it's likely you'll be staying overnight, you may have a simple screening test to check your skin for MRSA before you're admitted.
Not all boils are caused by MRSA bacteria — other kinds may be the culprit. Rely on a professional to drain a boil. Do not try to squeeze it or drain it yourself. If a minor skin injury starts to hurt — a lot, much more than seems normal — be on the lookout. Cellulitis is a deep skin infection caused by staph or streptococcus strep bacteria, including MRSA.
Cellulitis leads to redness, swelling, pain and heat in the skin, sometimes in a large, diffuse area.
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