Q: What is MRSA?

A: MRSA stands for methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This type of bacteria causes “staph” infections that are resistant to treatment with usual antibiotics. MRSA usually occurs among patients in medical facilities but it can also infect people in the community. Such infections are generally mild and affect the skin with pimples or boils that can be swollen, painful and drain pus.

Q: Is MRSA the reason we can’t get antibiotics as easily as we use to?

A: Yes. Along with MRSA, many significant infection-causing bacteria in the world are becoming resistant to the most commonly prescribed antimicrobial treatments. You may have heard them called “Super Bugs.” Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria change or adapt in a way that allows them to survive in the presence of antibiotics designed to kill them. In some cases bacteria become so resistant that no available antibiotics are effective against them. At this time, treatment options still exist for MRSA.

Q: How do I protect myself from getting MRSA?

A: You can protect yourself by: