IMG: Sxc.hu

Plenty of soup and vitamin C is definitely on the list of good things to add to your child’s daily schedule but what happens when that isn’t enough?

Every year parents have to deal with the common cold and flu symptoms and worry about the time off they’ll have to need to take care of their child. But with the swine flu outbreak earlier this year now taking a front burner parents are more worried than they’ve ever been before. The swine flu seems to be hitting all over the places and running rampant in the school systems. Every time it seems to go away parents breath a sigh of relief but with the new school year and the outbreak being back parents are starting to fret.

Just last week I found out my son’s school had over 6 kids (my son actually knows) that have been absent with “the flu” for over 3 weeks. At the bus stop a mother told me that she was actually scared because her son now had something and he was just getting worse. She explained how she wouldn’t normally take her child into the hospital but now she worried that if she didn’t he might have swine flu or something just as serious.

Just last week it was announced that schools were sending notices home to parents because students were in the hospital now with MRSA. Currently this is just in Avon, Ohio and the principal does seem to be on top of this as they are already disinfecting the school. Thankfully they had all weekend to scrub the school down. For those that aren’t aware MRSA is check out the info below:

CDC
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics. These antibiotics include methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. Staph infections, including MRSA, occur most frequently among persons in hospitals and healthcare facilities (such as nursing homes and dialysis centers) who have weakened immune systems.

Symptoms of MRSA are:
Staph skin infections, including MRSA, generally start as small red bumps that resemble pimples, boils or spider bites. These can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses that require surgical draining. Sometimes the bacteria remain confined to the skin. But they can also penetrate into the body, causing potentially life-threatening infections in bones, joints, surgical wounds, the bloodstream, heart valves and lungs.   

The best advice I can give parents is keep an eye on your kids and if they show symptoms take them in right away just to be sure. I’d rather be safe than sorry. Keep healthy and keep those kleenex nearby.

Post from: Blisstree

MRSA Hits Schools

The first cases of MRSA in pets was discovered just five years ago, though it seemed to be limited to therapy dogs who were exposed to health care workers and patients on a consistent basis, and fell into the belief that illnesses jump from humans to pets, and not vice versa. However, in more recent studies it’s been found that animals store the infection in their bodies, though a healthy dog or cat can usually rid themselves of it in a matter of weeks. The infection can be passed on to people through open wounds, and is more likely to happen if the person is bitten by an infected pet.

During some recent research, Elizabeth A. Scott at the Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community at Simmons College in Boston swabbed surfaces in 35 homes and found that the overwhelming common denominator in the houses that tested positive were the households with cats, and were eight times more likely to have the germ present.

I can’t seem to find further info on these cat households — are the chances this high because the households they studied have indoor-outdoor cats? Or did they look at just indoor-only cat households? Did the owners themselves work in the health care industry? Were there small kids or immunocomprised people present as well? I think the 38.4 million cat households in the U.S. might be worth doing a little more research for!

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Cat Owners More Likely to Have MRSA?

Traditionally the bacteria was found primarily in the hospital or long term care environment, however, recently it has become more wide-spread in schools, locker rooms, gyms, and community settings.

MRSA can appear in a variety of skin infections but it can also attack the internal organs. Often MRSA infections look like a pimple or insect bite that appears larger than normal, is pus-filled and warm to the touch. Any skin infections of this nature should be examined by a doctor immediately and be tested.

Education and good hygiene are  the best means of prevention. According to the CDC, here are some of the best ways to prevent MRSA.

• Wash your hands. Use soap and water or an alcohol-base hand sanitizer. Also, wash thoroughly. Experts suggest that you wash your hands for as long as it takes you to recite the alphabet.
• Cover cuts and scrapes with a clean bandage. This will help the wound heal. It will also prevent you from spreading bacteria to other people.
• Do not touch other people’s wounds or bandages.
• Do not share personal items like towels or razors. If you use any shared gym equipment, wipe it down before and after you use it. Drying clothes, sheets, and towels in a dryer — rather than letting them air dry — helps kill bacteria.

Here are some additional MRSA resources:

• MRSA Resources
• MRSA Prevention Poster
• Understanding MRSA
• Drug-resistant staph deaths may surpass AIDS toll

Post from: Blisstree

MRSA Infections on the Rise