Staphylococcus or Staph Infection on the Rise

With the recent new strain of Staph Infection many people are concerned about how to protect themselves and their families against this type of infection. It has been reported that this new strain will not respond to any of the normal antibiotics that are usually given for a Staph infection and that there have actually been some who have died due to this infection. This is a very scary and means that we need to have more info about this type of infection.

Kidshealth states that Staph is the shortened name for Staphylococcus (pronounced: staf-uh-low-kah-kus), a type of bacteria. This bacterium can live on the skin and not ever cause any harm to us but if the skin around it is punctured or broken the staph infection will enter the open wound and causes the infection. Most staph infections are caused by the species Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). S. aureus usually causes skin infections such as folliculitis, boils, impetigo, and cellulites that normally affect a small area of skin. Staph infections are usually passed on through contaminated objects but it is passed through skin to skin contact. The infection can be spread from one part of the body to another as well as from person to person.

The most important thing that we need to do to protect ourselves from this type of infection is to stay clean says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Make sure and wash our hands many times through out the day as well as shower daily. Also make sure to keep any area of skin that has been injured in any way covered and very clean. If someone you live with has had or has a Staph infection make sure and do not share anything especially clothing, towels and sheets.

The big scare about the current strain that is going around is the fact that it is resistant to many antibiotics. There has been a confirmed case of a 4 year old girl who died due to pneumonia that was a complication of a staph infection that was all over the news. It is very important that we teach our children the importance of washing our hands with warm water and soap many times a day. Our children need to understand how important cleanliness is.

Medicinenet says that Staph infections are very common and are usually not something to worry about. Usually only a very small percentage of people who have a Staph infection have complications from it.