Then we “cast a wider net” for prevention:
• Who does the cooking in the house? They must wash hands after handling raw meat (especially chicken) as well as hard and soft cheeses
• Pets can carry Staph
• Fomites – keyboards, toys, sports equipment (wipe down with Clorox wipes or alcohol)
• Use disposable toothbrushes for 10 days and Listerine gargle nightly (staph can live in pharynx)
• Change linens daily
• Use disposable combs (a new one each day) for hair for 10 days
Athletes:
• Athletes must sometimes also treat teammates and locker rooms in case these are sources of reinfection.
• Clean sports equipment with ethanol rubbing alcohol (e.g. wrestling pads) or replace (e.g. football pads/helmets).
Bleach baths:
• Add ¼ cup of plain Clorox bleach to a full tub for a ten minute bath daily for one week (then once a week after that)
Are you using the cream in your nose correctly?
• Make sure that the cream gets into the anterior vestibule of the nostril (if you put your finger in your nostril with the nail facing you, then the pad of your finger is in contact with the anterior vestibule)
• If you are using Triple Antibiotic Cream for the nose, belly button, and behind ears, then ask the doctor to change the cream to Bactroban
Concept:
• Staph lives in moist areas – nostrils, underarms, groin, peri-anal; therefore make sure you are treating these areas (during bleach bath or with antibiotic cream)