6 Ways to Avoid the MRSA Super Bug

This week's news of clusters of Super Bug infections from coast to coast as well as the tragic death of a healthy high schooler in Virginia has attention focused on the Super Bug. Officially called MRSA, this is a strain of Staph bacterium that is resistant to multiple drug treatments. It is transmitted through skin to skin contact, or through contact with an object or surface that has been touched by another's infection, such as a towel.

6 Ways to Protect Yourself:

Keep Your Hands Clean: wash regularly with soap and water, and as an added protection, use an alcohol based hand sanitizer such as Purell.

Keep Your Cuts and Abrasions Covered: Put clean, dry bandages over open wounds, cuts, scrapes to keep them from touching possibly infected surfaces.

Don't Share Sports Equipment: Weight training benches and other gym surfaces should be handled with a barrier such as a towel.

Don't Share Toiletry Items: Razors and towels and such items should never be shared, but especially now with the rise of MRSA.

Keep it Clean: Regularly clean surfaces around your home and office that come in contact with others. That may mean telephones, counter tops, and other places touched by others' skin.

Take Precautions at the Gym: Wipe surfaces of equipment before and after use. Engage the management and ask for them to provide cleaning products for this purpose.

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