Healthcare specialists attribute over 60% of skin and soft tissue infections in children to MRSA bacteria, which have a number of different strains, making these infections quite difficult to treat. In fact, doctors often fret about how to treat MRSA in children effectively and prevent recurrences of the infection. In fact, MRSA has now become a healthcare concern with head and neck infections in kids. It has doubled within the last five years, according a CDC report. Nevertheless, the condition is both treatable and preventable. Here are a few steps to treating MRSA infections in kids.
1Take the pediatrician's advice, when they tell you that your child should really be taking antibiotics. If the lab results show that the infection has spread throughout the child's body, the doctor will prescribe a line of antibiotics to tackle it. The child with adult supervision should complete the entire dose to prevent the normally obdurate MRSA bacteria from developing resistant to the drugs.
2Don't let the fact that your child might have to take their drugs intravenously scare you. Children with low immunity are particularly susceptible to serious MRSA infections and the infection can become quite nasty and difficult to treat once it reaches the bloodstream or lungs of child. In such cases, doctors usually recommend immediate hospitalization for the kid whereupon they receive a continuous dosage of antibiotics intravenously.
3Realize that surgery may be needed to fix latent problems dealt to the child, if problems persist in their joints.Serious MRSA infections that affect the joints and lungs may require surgery, or intense medication to treat effectively.
4Take all recommendations asked of you into consideration to prevent the spread of the bacteria. Medical practitioners often recommend bleach bathes for serious infections of the skin among children to prevent the bacteria from spreading.
- Apart from treatment, prevention of MRSA is an important aspect of tackling the condition in children.
- MRSA bacteria are normally difficult to treat since they mutate rapidly in patients. Because of this, medical specialists often worry about how to treat MRSA in children and normally employ different treatment options according to the state of the infection. For instance, they use simple surgical procedure and antibacterial ointments to treat localized skin infections and antibiotics for serious infections. Nevertheless, prevention is probably the best method to avoid MRSA infections in kids.
- Change bandages regularly at the spot where the doctor drains the infected skin abscess. Wear gloves when changing the bandage, and dispose of it carefully.
- Obtain alcohol-based hand sanitizers or wipes for children to use.
- Advise children to avoid touching or rubbing sores or scabs on their skin. They should apply anti-itching creams if the infected area is particularly itchy.
- Obtain an antibacterial ointment for the nose where MRSA bacteria thrive.
- Advise kids not to share personal effects such as towels or clothes at school.
- Always cover the wound with a clean bandage until it heals completely.
- Follow up the treatment with the child's pediatrician. It is vital to eliminate all causative agents to prevent relapses or further spread of the condition.
- The ideal way to deal with MRSA is thorough effective treatment and prevention. Below are some tips for treating the infection among children.
- Here are useful tips for preventing the spread of MRSA in kids.
- For starters, ensure that the child finishes the complete dosage of prescription medication in order to prevent the bacteria from developing resistance to the drugs in future.
- Teach children about the importance of washing their hands properly on a regular basis.
- Don't let the child with MRSA go swimming because they could spread it and the water would infect their wound more.
- Do your best to remember when the child takes medicine and give the proper dose. MRSA is already resistant to many medicines and skipping doses could make it more resistant and harder to treat.
- Clean everything your child touches and wash your hands. MRSA spreads really easily.
- Tell your child to keep it covered at school. If it's really bad you might want to keep the child
out for a few days. Make sure they get caught up in school.
- Have them cover up where it's infected, like if it's on their lower leg make them wear pants at all times. No shorts or skirts until it closes or is at least smaller.
- Remember, if your child ends up needing surgery, on surgery day, DO NOT let them eat or drink ANYTHING AT ALL on the day of surgery.
Sources and Citations
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004520/ - MRSA
- http://www.themrsa.com/in-children/ - MRSA In Children
- http://www.webmd.com/parenting/mrsa-and-staph-infections-in-children - MRSA and Staph Infections in Children
- http://kidshealth.org/teen/infections/bacterial_viral/mrsa.html# - MRSA
- http://blogs.cdc.gov/safehealthcare/?p=1389 - New Clinical Guidelines for MRSA Treatment