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General - Superbug Virus? - View Post

I believe what you are talking about is called MRSA. It is an antibiotic resistant strain of staph bacteria. The bacteria has gotten a lot of press after a student in VA died of it.

Things to know:

1) It is not resistant to all antibiotics.
2) Staph (regular and probably resistant) is a common infection, and it is easily preventable.
3) It is likely that this strain of staph occurs far more often than reported, because proper treatment of cuts and infections will get rid of it before it becomes life threatening.
4) MRSA is most dangerous when contracted by very young children, the elderly, and anyone else with a weakened immune system.

It is not a true superbug, but you should take any infection seriously. If you experience swelling of a cut, boils, rash, and especially fever, see a doctor.

Outside of hospitals, athletes seem to be the most likely to contract it, because of unsanitary gym equipment. The easy solution is to wipe the equipment down with a disinfectant before use, and take a shower afterward.

Your unbroken skin will protect you from it, but cuts and such should be protected with bandages and cleaned regularly. But that is common sense, and you should do that to protect against any infection. Any infection can kill you if not treated properly, and it is unlikely that any healthy young student would die of it even if infected.

Just stay clean, wash your hands periodically, do what your mother told you.