MRSA Skin Infections               
  Contact Donna O’Connor, Nurse/Health Services Administrator, at 456-9317 or donna.o’connor@ppsd.org for more information on health and safety topics or if you have any questions/concerns.   
     
  MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics including methicillin, oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. As long as the germ stays only on the person’s skin, MRSA is not usually a problem. However, if the germ gets inside the body through a cut or a scrape, it can cause a skin infection. The skin infection looks like pimples or boils that are red, swollen and may have pus or other drainage.  
     
  Most MRSA infections are treated by good wound and skin care that includes keeping the area clean and dry, washing hands after caring for the area, carefully disposing of any bandages, and allowing the body to heal. Sometimes treatment requires the use of antibiotics. If antibiotics are needed, it is important to take all the doses.  
     
  If parents suspect that their child may have a MRSA infection, they should call their healthcare provider. The Providence School District asks that parents also notify the nurse or principal at their child’s school. This will help the schools to monitor the number of students who may have the infection, as well as allow the school nurses to make sure all MRSA skin infections are being treated properly to minimize the possibility of spreading the infection.  
     
  Students with MRSA skin infections may attend school, unless directed by a physician. Exclusion from school should be reserved for those with pus or drainage that cannot be covered and contained with a clean, dry bandage and for those who cannot maintain good personal hygiene. Students with active infections should be excluded from activities where skin-to-skin contact is likely to occur (i.e., sports) until their infections are healed.  
     
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