Staph Meeting

I've been reading a lot of articles both in Pittsburgh and here in Baton Rouge about students being diagnosed with MRSA infections. Most of them have an really alarmist tone.

While MRSA can be dangerous if it gets into the bloodstream, most of the time in community-contracted MRSA, it remains a skin infection that can be treated relatively easily by antibiotics. Granted, the antibiotics are powerful and tend to wipe you out more than the infection itself does, but it is treatable. The only issue is that you become more prone to contracting MRSA infections in the future - but they still generally remain skin infections, unless you have a deep wound.

I'm speaking from experience here. I've had MRSA infections. And if you keep any oozing boils covered, you generally are not going to transmit the infection unless someone rubs your pus all over their skin, or licks it (sorry for the disgusting image at lunchtime, for those of you who are eating). I can tell you that I've had abscesses get large enough to have to be drained and packed, and I never passed infection on to anyone else.

So, parents out there, don't panic. Just make sure your kid wears his or her own clothes (or that borrowed clothes are actually clean), doesn't use other people's towels, and washes hands well, and they'll be fine. Just be sure to get any rashes that look like a series of pimples checked quickly, especially if any of them are red around the pimple or are draining anything.

This has been your public service announcement for the day.

I feel like NBC's "The More You Know" music should be playing.