When MRSA Strikes Your Baby's Daycare

When my son was just seven months old, his daycare teacher sent him home with a note. The note said that another baby in his class was suffering from a MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infection. When I spoke to my son's teacher the next day, she explained that the baby had suffered from what initially appeared to be a spider bite on her back. Instead of getting better, the mark became increasingly painful and filled with pus. Her parents took her to the emergency room, where she was diagnosed with a MRSA infection.

When I got to work that day, I contacted our pediatrician to ask what we could do to protect our son. I also called the local health department to ask about MRSA infections and the risk it posed in the daycare setting. While both the pediatrician and the health department expressed their concern about MRSA, neither was surprised to hear that the dangerous bacteria was so close to home. According to the Mayo Clinic, MRSA strikes most often in health care settings, such as nursing homes and hospitals. However, daycares are also a prime breading ground for dangerous infections, including MRSA.

Both the health department nurse and the pediatrician recommended the following tips for preventing the spread of MRSA to your child:

Preventing the Spread of MRSA to Your Child: Give Frequent Baths

The main suggestion from the nurse and the pediatrician was to give frequent baths. Instead of giving a bath every other night, bathe your child daily. If your child suffers from dry skin, then be sure to use a lotion to prevent dry patches or rashes. Bathing and practicing good hygiene, like hand washing, may be the best defense against MRSA and other bacteria.

Preventing the Spread of MRSA to Your Child: Keep Wounds Covered

If your child has a wound, make sure that it is covered. This is especially important if the scrape or scratch is not normally covered by clothing. Take the extra precaution of using a bandage, even for minor wounds, to prevent MRSA from entering the body through the open site.

Preventing the Spread of MRSA to Your Child: Properly Launder Linens and Cloth

Some daycares provide bedding, bibs, and other shared cloth articles. If that is the case with your daycare, confirm that the linens and other cloth articles are being properly and thoroughly laundered in hot water and dried using the hot setting. If possible, bleach should be used.

Preventing the Spread of MRSA to Your Child: Monitor the Daycare

In addition to taking precautions at home, monitor the daycare setting as well. Ask what types of disinfectants they use for the diaper changing area. More importantly, ask whether they use the disinfectants according to the manufacturer's recommendation. For instance, if the manufacturer recommends thoroughly wetting the surface of the changing area and letting the product stand for 10 minutes before wiping it off, then confirm that the daycare instructors are not just spraying the surface and immediately wiping it off. If the daycare's preventative measures are not up to your standards, then look for another daycare that will meet your needs.

Sources:

Department of Health. Telephone interview. 15 May 2008.

Mayoclinic.com, "MRSA Infection," Mayo Clinic Staff.