Does MRSA Spread Quickly?

MRSA infection is a contagious disease and spread quickly if not controlled. It has a high speed of spread both in the community as well as in the body.

MRSA is a highly contagious disease and is transmitted through coming in contact with the person or things colonized by MRSA. There are two types of ways through which MRSA infection is transmitted:

1. Hospital Acquired MRSA. Also known as nosocomial infection, this MRSA infection is contracted during a visit to the hospital. The patients, as well as the patients’ relatives, are at risk of developing MRSA infection. The main problem arises in elderly people, people with a compromised immune system and the patients visiting the hospital for dialysis. It has been found that the patients who stay at the hospital for a longer period of time are significantly at higher risk of developing nosocomial MRSA infection.
2. Community-Acquired MRSA. While the exposure to the hospital-acquired MRSA is limited, the community-acquired MRSA infection can be easily spread. Various factors affect the spread of community-acquired MRSA. This includes limited healthcare facilities, sharing personal things such as razors and towels, poor hygienic conditions and crowded places where there is too much skin-to-skin contact.

MRSA spreads at a very high rate both within the body as well in the community. MRSA infection is a highly contagious disease and can quickly speed through skin-to-skin contact. Further, poor hygienic conditions also provide a favorable environment for spreading the condition. In the body, the MRSA infection initiates like other infections at a lower level. If the proper treatment strategy is not followed, it may spread to other parts of the body at a rapid rate. If the infection reaches the blood, it progresses to cause sepsis and later on to septic shock which is a fatal condition. MRSA infection also causes failure of vital organs.

Factors which increase the speed of MRSA infections are:

• Crowded Areas. Speed of spreading MRSA infection is high in the crowded areas as these areas have maximum skin-to-skin contact.
• Exposed Skin. Bruises, cuts or wounds on the skin also increases the spread of MRSA infection. Patients with a compromised immune system have a high risk of contracting MRSA infection at a rapid rate.
• Improper Hygiene. Rapidity of spreading MRSA infection increases in the area where there is a low level of cleanliness, and poor hygienic practices.

MRSA infection is hard to treat as the standard antibiotics are not able to kill or inhibit MRSA. Thus, an aggressive treatment strategy should be adopted which may include the use of more than one antibiotic. Sometimes the treatment is not required rather the abscess from the affected place is drained. Following are the treatment options for MRSA infection.

Antipyretics. The toxins produced during the infection causes the temperature of the body to rise. Thus, antipyretics can be used to lower body temperature.

Antibiotics. High-end potent antibiotics at used against the infection. It should be noted that these antibiotics should be used only in the cases of severe infections or the infections caused by MRSA; otherwise it may lead to bacterial resistance.

Prevention is better than cure and if the disease is MRSA infection then it certainly holds true as the cure is very difficult. Various prevention tips should be followed to prevent the occurrence of MRSA infection.

• Do not share your personal articles such as towels or razors and if they are shared always wash with suitable disinfectant before use.
• Do not come in contact with the MRSA infected person, its wounds and used bandages.
• Keep your wound clean and cover with a bandage until it gets healed.
• After performing any exercise, take a bath.
• Keep your hands clean.

MRSA infection spreads quickly due to difficulty in controlling the disease. Various prevention tips such as keeping the wound clean and covered and following hygienic habits reduce the rate of its transmission.

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Also Read:

• Can MRSA Go Away On Its Own?
• How Do You Kill MRSA On Clothes?
• Is MRSA Permanent?
• Home Remedies For MRSA
• How Contagious Is The MRSA Virus?
• How Does A Person Get MRSA?
• What Are The First Signs Of MRSA?