What is Staph Infection and How does one come in contact with it?

It seems Staph infection has been in the news a lot these days. School children have been infected with it and some children have even died because if it.

So, what is Staph Infection and how does one come in contact with it?

Staphylococcus is group of bacteria, familiarly known as Staph. It can cause a multitude of diseases as a result of infection of various tissues of the body. Staph bacteria can cause illness not only directly by infection (such as in the skin), but also indirectly by producing toxins responsible for food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome. Staph-related illness can range from mild and requiring no treatment to severe and potentially fatal.

The name "Staphylococcus" comes from the Greek staphyle meaning a bunch of grapes and kokkos meaning berry, and that is what Staph look like under the microscope, like a bunch of grapes or little round berries. (In technical terms, these are gram-positive, facultative anaerobic, usually unencapsulated cocci.)

Anyone can develop a Staph infection, although certain groups of people are at greater risk, including newborn infants, breastfeeding women, and people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer, vascular disease, and lung disease. Injecting drug users, those with skin injuries or disorders, intravenous catheters, surgical incisions, and those with a weakened immune system all have an increased risk of developing Staph infections. Source: MedicineNet

Staph can spread through the air, on contaminated surfaces, and from person to person. A child can carry staph bacteria from one area of the body to another on dirty hands and under dirty fingernails. Staph can pass from person to person the same way. So hand washing is the most important way to prevent staph infections.

You can also help prevent staph skin infections by keeping your child's skin clean with a daily bath or shower. If your child has a skin condition such as eczema that makes frequent bathing difficult, speak with your child's doctor for advice.

Keep areas of the skin that have been injured - such as cuts, scrapes, and rashes caused by allergic reactions or poison ivy - clean and covered, and use any other treatments that your doctor suggests. Source: KidsHealth

Do you remember seeing an episode if E.R. when the E.R. was getting sick and they did not know why. Well, they traced the cause back to the big guy at the intake desk because he was not washing his hands. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

Remember that, WASH YOUR HANDS... Then, the liklihood of you or your child contracting a Staph Infection will go down significantly. Plus, if you are neurotic, like me, washing your hands just comes second nature.