How To Protect Yourself From MRSA

by Dr Vernon Coleman and Donna Antoinette Coleman





(MRSA stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus infection - a particularly vicious and deadly infection now commonly found in British hospitals.)


1. Only go into hospital if you really have to i.e. for life-saving treatment or for treatment that is going to dramatically improve the quality of your life. Try to get home as soon as you possibly can.

2. Make sure your immune system is as healthy as possible. Keep up your intake of vitamins - particularly antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C and E. (You should, of course, consult your doctor to obtain his approval before taking vitamin supplements).

3. When going into hospital, make sure that you take plenty of disposable anti-bacterial wipes with you. If you are too ill to clean, ask a relative or a friend to do it for you.

4. Wash and clean your hands frequently throughout the day.

5. Never walk around a hospital in bare feet.

6. Make sure that friends and relatives who visit you have as little physical contact with you as possible. They may have picked up the bug on their way through the hospital. The MRSA bug is most dangerous to those who have just had an operation or are seriously ill.

7. All hospital staff and relatives who touch you should wash their hands thoroughly before and after visiting you.

8. Always wash your hands thoroughly before and after touching any wounds or dressings.

9. Disinfect baths, showers, washbasins and toilets before using them. Remember to disinfect toilet seats, taps and handles.

10. Have as little physical contact with other patients as you can.

11. Stay away from hospital `day rooms' which contain soft furnishings. The MRSA bug can live in cushions, carpets and curtains for weeks.

12. Do not share soap, flannels or towels with other patients.


Copyright Vernon Coleman and Donna Antoinette Coleman 2005


Taken from Health Secrets Doctors Share With Their Families by Vernon Coleman & Donna Antoinette Coleman, published by the European Medical Journal at £12.99 and available from the shop on this website and from all good books everywhere.


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