Superbug MRSA Shuts Down Schools

So, folks, I just found out that there was a school shut down in Virginia because a student has died due to MRSA. Do you all know what this is?? This is the “staph infection” that a lot of people think is only rampant in hospitals. Apparently, this Superbug is in our schools too!

When Gus was around, we had to be super careful about not catching infections of any type. It was our goal to keep Gus germ-free as long as we could in order for him to be able to get a transplant when the time came. We avoided public places like Walmart and the grocery stores. Church was out of the question because everyone would have wanted to hold him and though these people would never want to harm Gus, they still could have made him sick. Since we had to go to these stores, we were very careful when we came home---washing our hands, showering, etc.

One place we could not avoid though was the hospital. Not only were we there for central line infections and line repairs, but Pete also was just starting the RN program and he was employed at the hospital as a CNA. At work, he would don two, sometimes three, layers of gowns and gloves when he had to work with a patient infected with MRSA. When he came home, his shoes stayed outside and he went immediately to the shower. His clothes were thrown out on the back deck to be washed. We used gloves to pick them up and put them into the washer. Sound like we were over reacting to MRSA?? Nope, it was, and still is, that serious, folks.

Our fear was that Gus would become infected with MRSA through contact with the hospital or through people who work at the hospital. We knew that MRSA was not only in hospitals but around in our communities across the country. However, we didn’t realize to what degree…really, we had the misconception that it was really only found in the hospitals. That’s all that we’ve hear about…how someone has died in the hospital because of a “staph infection”. That’s all we’ve heard about until now….in our schools?? That is so completely scary to me!

Gus never caught MRSA, but he did have quite a few nasty Staph Aureus infections that were true adventures! We were fortunate that he never became infected because death would probably have been swift since his immune system was not top-notch. Of course, since Gus died there is no concern for him catching this Superbug, but I do have three other children that need protection…heck, we ALL need protection from MRSA.

We’re going to be using Staphaseptic on our wounds from now on. I’ve read the information at their website and I’m completely convinced that switching from our Neosporin to Staphaseptic will make a huge difference. I feel that using this product will protect us better than what we are using now.

Of course, good hygiene goes very far in avoiding this Superbug. When you visit the site be sure to watch the video. It’s very informative and shares information about MRSA that is on a level we all can understand. It also shows the steps to take in helping to prevent MRSA.

Please forgive my long-windedness, but this is serious stuff folks!

In our schools?? Sheesh….