The locker room is a great place for your young athletes to analyze their games, develop lasting friendships — and become infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, bacteria.
As the name indicates, MRSA can be resistant to antibiotic treatment, so prevention is critical. Check with your child’s school district to ensure cleanup of athletic fields and locker rooms for the virulent bacteria, suggests Toni Darville, MD, chief of Children’s Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Dr. Darville offers these simple steps that everyone should take to prevent MRSA from spreading:
- Wash your hands before eating and after using the bathroom. Wash your hands often. Plain soap and warm to hot water work best. Lather for at least 15 seconds each time. Rinse thoroughly and dry.
- Do not share towels, washcloths, clothes, razors, toiletries, helmets and other sports equipment. Do not share anything that touches bare skin.
Concerned? Call your child’s pediatrician.