MRSA Virus

[Impatient]

Hi,
I’m really hoping for some advice on the MRSA Virus.
I’m 31 weeks pregnant & my Mum told me a few weeks ago that she just found out she has it. My husband & I have spoken to our OB briefly about it but I’m hoping that someone else that has MRSA or has been in close contact with someone that may have MRSA may be able to tell me more about it. My OB recommended that she should wash her hand before touching the baby, anything that belongs to her or may come in close contact with her & also not kissing that baby. My confusion about this now that I have had too much time to think about it is that is how serious is it really. It is supposed to live on the skin but what happens when she sits on the couch; touches a door handle or even the kitchen bench that I will make her bottles on? Am I supposed to sanitize everything when she leaves? It sound so dramatic but that is why I feel that I need more info & to be better informed so I can either calm down or continue to be completely nuts about this. I had my baby shower yesterday and I had just finished washing all her clothes & hanging them & she went into the room & took everything out to show everyone so am I meant to know wash them all again cause she didn’t wash her hands? I really think I sound really odd but I feel so uninformed about this an even my OB had to get info cause he doesn’t know anything about it either so please someone with some personal experiences please help me.
I have spoken to my Mum & we have cried about it cause it really upsets her & I understand that plus I’m also worried about my baby & myself getting MSRA. I told her what the OB said & yesterday she still touched all her clothes without washing her hands then today she came over for a mother’s day breakfast & we were putting her bouncer together, I asked her to wash her hands first & she lost it at me, walked again & wouldn’t help me. She knows that I care about her & I really don’t think I could have said it nicer but I really don’t know what to do.
Please help!!!!!!

[samsmyboy]

Hi

I understand your stress but you need to relax. The MRSA is resistant to a particular type of antibiotics which makes it difficult to treat in the case that someone gets sick from it - normally when they are already incompacitated with some other illness. Staph does normally live on your skin (particularly in your nose) and lives quite happily unless it starts to colonise and you are ill, then it can become an issue. People live quite happily with MRSA and don't eben know they have it.

Good hygiene (handwashing) is needed but hopefully you and your mum would be doing this anyway. Washing the clothes and equipment is going a little too far as these bugs need a suitable environment with which to survive ie nice warm skin, inanimate objects don't always provide these. Also there is chance your mum has had this for some time and not known, so being paranoid around her now is probably going to hurt her feelings more that anything else, and there is also the possibilty that you already have it.

Don't stress, ease up with your mum and try and enjoy this time and support from her rather than making her feel isolated by your paranoia. As long as handwashing is a priority you should be ok.

The hospital may have some more information or an infection control nurse you could talk to for more information - have a chat to the midwife/ OB next visit.

Good luck

[moongazer]

:iagree: with the above.

MRSA is alive and well in the community. It is also in soil I believe. It gets killed by sunlight.

People are screened when in hospital. If they have colonised MRSA it means it is growing in warm moist spots, in colonies if you like. Hospitals need to know this so they can contain it. There are many immuno-suppressed people in hospital, and also many wounds. If MRSA gets into a wound, then it can delay healing and cause problems that way.

Talk to an infection control nurse. The bug can't live on inanimate surfaces for very long periods of time. It needs a host to stay alive.

More people in the community have MRSA than we know. That includes in child care centres.