FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2008

  Protect Yourself: Tips for Avoiding “Superbugs”

 (Chicago) – News reports about “superbugs” such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) have raised public awareness about the importance of infection control. While MRSA infections occur most frequently among persons in hospitals and healthcare facilities, it is becoming increasingly common in the community. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 12 percent of clinical MRSA infections are now community-associated. 

By utilizing some simple safety techniques, people can avoid these types of serious staph infections. The Illinois Council on Long Term Care, an association of nursing home professionals, offers the following helpful recommendations for avoiding dangerous infections such as MRSA:  

• Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Keep all cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed. Broken skin allows bacteria to enter and exit.
• Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or bandages.
• Avoid sharing personal items such as towels and razors.
• At a health club, wipe surfaces before and after use and use a barrier (such as clothing or a towel) between your skin and the fitness equipment.
• Ensure that medical professionals disinfect their hands before examining you. Studies indicate that up to 50 percent of doctors fail to wash their hands enough.
• Have alcohol-based hand sanitizer readily available in places like the car, in your purse or briefcase, and in your kids’ school backpacks.
• If you have a staph infection, wash your sheets, towels and clothes frequently and use a hot clothes dryer, rather than air drying, to kill bacteria.
• If you visit someone in the hospital or nursing home, wash your hands before and after your visit to ensure that you don’t carry germs.

According to the CDC, staph infections, including MRSA, can cause skin infections that may look like a pimple or a boil and can be red, swollen, painful or have pus or other drainage. More serious infections may cause pneumonia, bloodstream infections or surgical wound infections. If you suspect an infection, be sure to contact your doctor immediately.

Frequent hand washing is a person’s best line of defense against acquiring infections, yet it is often done incorrectly. The Illinois Council recommends the following steps for effective hand washing and protection against germs:

• Wet your hands first with warm water.
• Apply soap to your hands and rub your hands together vigorously for at least 20 seconds.
• Be sure to cover all the surfaces of your hands and between your fingers during the wash. Get underneath your fingernails as well.
• Rinse your hands with warm water and dry thoroughly with a disposable towel.
• Use the towel to turn off the faucet and exit the room.

If you use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, apply the product to the palm of one hand and rub the hands together, making sure to cover all surfaces of your hands and fingers. Continue to rub until your hands are dry, which should take 15 to 25 seconds.

Another common way of transmitting infections is through coughing and sneezing. People cough into their hands and then pass along germs to others by touching objects or through direct contact. The Illinois Council recommends covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands. Put all used tissues into a wastebasket immediately.

Immunizations are extremely important as well. Be sure to get a yearly flu shot to avoid seasonal flu and stay healthy. In addition, persons over the age of 65 and those with chronic conditions such as diabetes or asthma should get a pneumonia shot every five years to prevent infection.

“Avoiding infections requires using your common sense,” said Susan Duda-Gardiner, director of clinical services for the Illinois Council on Long Term Care. “If something is wet and not yours, don’t touch it without using barriers and precautions. By utilizing these basic safety steps, you can go a long way in protecting yourself and your family from harm.”

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The Illinois Council on Long Term Care is a professional association of nearly 200 nursing facilities committed to quality residential health care in Illinois through a productive and responsible partnership between the private and public sectors. The Council represents more than 26,000 nursing home professionals serving more than 37,000 residents. Helpful information for seniors and families can be found at the Council’s Web site www.nursinghome.org.