Every winter, we stock our medicine cabinets with a wealth of products to protect us against the onslaught of colds and flu. And now, health experts have raised the alarm on the increase in staph infections, particularly a virulent version known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus – MRSA for short.

It was previously believed that MRSA infections were almost exclusively confined to healthcare settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes. However, schools nationwide are reporting outbreaks of Staphylococcus aureus skin infections. Some of them are MRSA infections, which is believed to have recently caused two student deaths. Most MRSA infections are skin infections that may appear as pustules or boils that often are red, swollen, painful, or have pus or other drainage. These skin infections commonly occur at sites of visible skin trauma, such as cuts and abrasions, and areas of the body covered by hair (e.g., back of neck, groin, buttock, armpit, beard area of men). Almost all MRSA skin infections can be effectively treated by drainage of pus with or without antibiotics. More serious infections, such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, or bone infections, are very rare in healthy people who get MRSA skin infections.

The spread of MRSA infections is preventable. Preventative steps include keeping cuts and wounds clean and covered until healed, and avoiding contact with other people's wounds and materials contaminated by wounds. However – and it's a big however – the simplest and most effective step toward the prevention of MRSA is the same one that is so effective in preventing the spread of colds and flu: Wash your hands. Even if a surface is contaminated and you touch it, you can remove the germs from your hands by washing them properly.

Here's how to clean those hands:
• Wet hands with warm, running water. Then apply soap.
• Rub hands together vigorously to make a lather and scrub all surfaces. Continue for 20 seconds, which is about how long it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice through.
• Rinse well under warm, running water.
• Dry hands thoroughly using paper towels or an air dryer. If possible, use paper towels to turn off the faucet.

When soap and water aren't available, there are other alternatives, says Nancy Bock, Vice President of Education at The Soap and Detergent Association. Hand sanitizers and hand wipes are easy, convenient, and portable. They can travel in a backpack, a briefcase, or a handbag; they can be standard equipment in a desk drawer or the glove compartment of your car. In an ideal world, dispensers of hand sanitizer would be available inside every classroom. That way, students wouldn't have to get a hall pass and leave the classroom to clean their hands.

Information available from The Soap and Detergent Association.