Recommendations for the Prevention of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Infections for Schools*

Important Points

  • Good personal hygiene, particularly frequent hand washing, is the best defense against illness
  • Cover wounds to prevent contact with others
  • If you have a skin infection, see your doctor
  • Children or staff with skin infections caused by MRSA should not routinely be excluded from school

General Information

  • It’s important to understand that skin infections are common, and that Staphylococcus aureus is a type of bacteria that causes many of these infections.
  • Approximately 30% of the population carries S. aureus on the skin or in the nose without ever getting ill.
  • A smaller number of individuals, perhaps 1% of the population, have a strain of S. aureus that is resistant to some antibiotics and is known as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). While MRSA is more difficult to treat, there is treatment available.

Environmental Cleaning

  • Establish and maintain routine schedules for environmental cleaning.
  • Clean environmental surfaces with an all-purpose cleaner and use the product in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • Ensure that high-touch surfaces (e.g., doorknobs, light switches, drinking fountains, faucet handles, and surfaces in and around toilets) are cleaned daily.
  • Promptly clean and decontaminate body fluid contamination of surfaces using either a 1:10 dilution of household chlorine bleach (1 part bleach in 9 parts water, prepared daily) or a germicidal product with specific label claims for HIV or hepatitis B virus.

Cleaning Sport/Athletic-Related Equipment and Items

  • Clean items used in sporting and/or athletic-related activities after each use with an all-purpose cleaner.
  • Promptly clean and decontaminate items soiled with blood or other body fluids using either a 1:10 dilution of household chlorine bleach (1 part bleach in 9 parts water, prepared daily) or a germicidal product with specific label claims for HIV or hepatitis B virus.

Preventing Staphylococcal Skin Infections Among Athletes

  • Advise students, faculty and staff regarding the importance of hand washing to minimize the spread of infectious disease.
  • Encourage good hygiene, including showering and washing with soap, after all practices and competitions.
  • Ensure availability of adequate soap and running water for hand washing in all bathrooms.
  • Provide individual-use towels during all practices and competitions.
  • Discourage sharing personal items and water bottles.
  • Train athletes and coaches to recognize and report wounds that are potentially infected (e.g., pus drainage, redness, or tenderness around the wound). Make sure athlete seeks medical care.
  • Ensure that practice uniforms and physical education uniforms are laundered on a weekly basis, or if feasible, more frequently.

Responding to MRSA Skin Infections

  • A letter need not be sent home to all staff and parents for one case of MRSA infection in a school.
  • Students and staff with skin infections caused by MRSA should not be excluded from school if the infected area is covered.
  • Do not allow students with draining wounds or infections to participate in practices or games until the wound has stopped draining. Because some MRSA infections may be difficult to treat, this may be a few weeks or longer. Permit the athlete to participate in non-contact activities if wounds are covered. Be sure athlete observes good hygienic practices – washing hands, showering and laundering clothes.
  • Schools should report clusters (three or more cases occurring over a short period of time) of skin infections to the Cook County Department of Public Health Communicable Disease Control Unit at 708.492.2150 (normal business hours) or 708.492.2000 (after hours).
  • Schools are encouraged to contact the Communicable Disease Control Unit for additional information or assistance managing a specific instance of a student or staff member with a skin infection caused by MRSA.

*The Cook County Department of Public Health may need to implement more stringent requirements during an outbreak.