Soap and Water May not be Enough to Fight MRS...( Navy The Citadel Are Among The Or...)

Navy, The Citadel Are Among The Organizations Advocating Use of Hand

Cleansers With CHG for Ongoing Prevention and Protection

NORCROSS, Ga., Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Headlines call MRSA (methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus) deadlier than AIDS, and the media continue to report daily on recent school closings and, in the most extreme cases, student deaths due to this drug-resistant staph infection*. Even though hand-washing is advocated as one of the best means of preventing a MRSA-related skin infection, simply using soap and water may not be enough for people in high- risk environments.

"Today's high-risk environment is not limited to health care facilities, but anywhere people share close quarters such as schools, day care centers, athletic teams, gyms and correctional facilities," said Carolyn Twomey, RN, vice president of clinical and technical affairs, Molnlycke Health Care US. "Washing your hands with soap and water may be enough for some people. However, for individuals exposed to high-risk environments, the spread of MRSA can simply occur through touching contaminated objects or surfaces and skin- to-skin contact. In these situations, an antimicrobial soap containing chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) kills MRSA and other staph infections and provides a protective barrier that keeps killing germs for a period of time after washing. It helps prevent individuals from unknowingly carrying MRSA to family members and loved ones."

Known as community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA), this strain of staph infection is found in individuals who have NOT been hospitalized or undergone a medical procedure within the past 12 months.(1) Outbreaks of CA-MRSA have been documented for more than 20 years(2), but recent reports indicate infections from this strain of staph are on the rise. MRSA and Staphylococcus aureus are germs that live on the skin of healthy people and spread from person to person via contaminated hands, skin and surfaces. It
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