CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden on MRSA

Hi, I’m Dr. Hansa Bhargava from WebMD and I’m joined today by Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC. Thank you for being here, Dr. Frieden. Let’s talk about MRSA infections. They are hard to treat. And more and more parents are worried about the prevention of these. Especially those who have kids in sports where there is close contact. What would you tell these parents?

MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staph aureus, is an organism that became resistant in health care facilities and spread to the community. That’s exactly what we need to stop from happening with other organisms, by improving detection and control of resistant organisms in our hospitals. In terms of MRSA in the community, there are commonsense, simple, low-cost things that people can do to avoid it. Wash your hands regularly. Shower after having vigorous physical activity. Don’t share towels and combs and other things that kids may share and may carry germs on them. These simple things can really reduce the risk. You know sometimes we’re looking for the latest, greatest thing and something as simple as hand washing will make the most difference.

So just back to basics. Simple hand washing. And for parents who do think that their child might have a MRSA skin infection, how can they distinguish the difference between a regular skin infection vs. MRSA?

Well, if it doesn’t heal, that’s a big hint. You want to make sure that if they’re cuts or scrapes, they’re washed promptly with soap and water. Cover them during the day time at least, so that they don’t get more dirt and dirty things in them. then if you have a fever or nausea or vomiting, you should be assessed and assessed carefully.