My 2 Yr Old Has MRSA

Depending on the size of the boil/wound, were you instructed to do wound care so that it heals properly?

Hi Sam I AM,

Let me preface my response to you that I am always hesitant to answer MRSA questions because I don't want to scare people. For the vast majority of people who contract an MRSA infection, it is local like your daughter's. Our family has experienced the worst case scenario side of MRSA. Four years ago, my then three year old son nearly lost his life to an infection of MRSA that made him septic (in the blood stream) and left him in complete organ failure and on life support for 21 days, in the hospital for just over 100. He has lifelong damage to his body and nerves that I won't bore you with but just wanted to tell you that while you should not panic, you should take this infection very seriously and finish all meds. As far as cleaning, here is the problem. MRSA is everywhere. You can get it off the buggy handle at your grocery store. Infectious disease doctors told us that 4/10 people have it colonized somewhere in their bodies and it is even higher for health care workers. Just make sure you are steadily washing hands after dealing with the wound. That is really your very best defense.

I believe the only way you can get infected is if her body fluid mixes with your body fluid. So, bleaching everything would be ok.... until she touches it again.

Here are some guidelines I found on the internet for dealing with someone with a MRSA infection:
1. Cover the wound with clean, dry bandages. And follow the doctor's instructions on caring for the wound.
2. Keep your hands clean. You, your family, and other people with whom you are in close contact should wash their hands often with soap and clean, running water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially after changing a bandage or touching a wound.
3. Do not share towels, washcloths, razors, clothing, or other items that may have had contact with your wound or a bandage. Wash your sheets, towels, and clothes with warm water and detergent and dry them in a hot dryer, if possible.
4. Keep your environment clean by wiping all frequently touched surfaces (such as countertops, doorknobs, and light switches) with a disinfectant.

My understanding is that yes..... MRSA bacteria will be *present* in her blood because she has contracted the bacteria. But she won't always have the infection.

I went through this and it began with boils.

I had to take a number of courses of antibiotics to get it cleared up.

If it helps at all, no one else in my family contracted it, including my children.
I took warm baths, soaked, drained, (I know it sounds gross), but I cleaned out the tub when I was done and immediately put my towels and wash rags into the washer. I washed my hands constantly.

I didn't go through bleaching everything, because my boils weren't in contact with everything. I washed my hands, I made my kids wash their hands, we didn't share any towels.

My kids are now 26 and 17 years old. They have never had staph.

Hand washing and preventing any cross contamination is really the best you can do.

I've worked in hospitals around MRSA patients, and strangely, I contracted it before working there. I never had an incident at work.

Follow the doctor's recommendations. Stay away from google because it will just freak you out.

Your daughter can recover from this with no further effects.
I know I did.

Best wishes.

It depends on if she has a colonization of the MRSA bacteria. This doesn't mean she has an active infection- just that the bacteria live on the body.
My husband is a carrier, and each one of us in the family have had some form of MRSA. I didn't contract mine from him- I got it from the hospital after childbirth. However, my husband has a colonization in his nose. You can ask the doctor to swab her nose and other areas where these bacteria would colonize.
It's important, now that you know, that any type of infection that surfaces be immediately cultured. I didn't have that done with my infection, and the infection got really stubborn. Took 4 months of very strong antibiotics to finally get rid of the infection.

She will always have the MRSA bacteria in her body, but won't always have the infection. Yes, bleach everything you use on her, separately from the rest of the family's, MRSA is highly contagious. Wash your hands after tending to her infected area. You might want to ask her doctor about the ointment you and other family members can use around your nostril openings to prevent the rest of you from getting it.

I have the MRSA bacteria as do several in our family. My granddaughter had a large MRSA infection on her bottom as well when she was 3. The first antibiotics did nothing so when she went beck to the doctor he said to get her to the hospital immediately. She was placed on IV antibiotics in preparation for surgery to drain it, but it began to improve by morning, and spent 2 more days there to make sure all was well. My brother, 40, nearly died from it a few years ago, it was on the back of his head. He spent 2 weeks hospitalized. So MRSA can be quite serious.

CoMoMom offered some excellent advice on dealing with it, God bless.

Sam, I just saw this. I have no experience with MRSA, but just want to tell you how sorry I am. Thinking of you both.

Dawn

first lice, now this.....hugs to you!!!

More than likely when they tested it they tested it to determine what drug it was not resistant to. One course of the antibiotics should clear it up and it should not be a concern moving forward.

No you should not need to bleach anything.

This is so sad and so scary! My niece and nephew have it and we had to make sure to not spread it when they had open infections. Always wash and bleach everything. MRSA means that it is resistant to antibiotics so you really want to make sure they are working. Also make sure to look for red stripes or lines coming from it. If you see then, mark then with an ink pen that won't wash off and see if it moves. The faster it moves the more dangerous it is. I know she is on meds, but you still need to watch it. Don't be scared, but it is something that you need to be sure to address and take care of. If in doubt, go to the hospital, even if she is on the meds, if it looks like its spreading or just not responding. I hope that it does and that she is out of the woods and going to be all better!!
My sister ended up in the hospital for a week because she had one on her eyebrow and almost lost her eyesight in that eye. Good luck mama! this is a hard one.

I'd definitely bleach her tub and wash her bedding and any clothes that she has worn in hot water.Ask the doctor about bactroban for her nose. Staph lives in the nose. We passed MRSA around our family until my daughter's led prescribed it for the whole famoly

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