MRSA Transmission in Hotels – Is No Place Safe?

Reducing Risk of MRSA in Hotel Rooms

Because of increased reports of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), sometimes called MERSA, a staph infection that is resistant to most antibiotics, public places such as schools, hospitals, health clubs, and hotels/motels need to take additional precautions in order to protect patrons.

MRSA, which can enter the body through small cuts or wounds, is more deadly than other staph infections. If left untreated, it can cause death within days. For those in the hospitality industry, improving cleaning and decontamination methods are important in order to keep exposure to MRSA to a minimum.

Safety Procedures to Prevent MRSA for Hotel/Motel Staff and Guests

In the past, most hotel/motel housekeeping crews cleaned visible surfaces using a general disinfectant cleaner. Many times, these cleaners contained mild sterilzing and odor controlling chemicals, but not much else. Housekeeping crews cleaned the tops of dressers, bathrooms, and mirrors. They replaced dirty linens, took out the trash, and vacuumed the room.

While these cleaning methods used to be enough to keep people safe, housekeeping crews now need be trained in better cleaning procedures, almost HAZMAT standard in order to maintain sanitary guest accommodations.

These procedures to reduce MRSA infection include:

* Following usage instructions on all cleaning chemicals

* Using cleaning supplies that contain bacteria killing chemicals

* Washing all towels, linens, and bedspreads in hot water with bleach to disinfect

* Rotating towels and other items used for cleaning to prevent spreading bacteria from a dirty surface to a clean one

* Wearing gloves at all times when cleaning rooms, bathrooms, and when removing trash

* Reporting any chemical spills, water damage, and other suspicious incidents to supervisors

* Changing vacuum bags as directed

* Following all procedures included in the MSDS (Materials Safety Data Sheet) when handling chemicals

* Update all procedure documentation every six months

* Hold training courses for new staff

When these procedures are followed, the risk of spreading MRSA and other bacterial infections are reduced, yet still just 99.9% effective.

Impact of MRSA and MRSA Infection on the Hospitality Industry

The impact of MRSA on hotels and motels that do not improve their cleaning procedures for MRSA prevention can affect the hospitality industry in many ways. Not only have hotels been closed in the past for not adopting the procedures mentioned above, others have been forced to close permanently because of a lack in public trust.

But MRSA does not only affect guests. It can also affect those working for the hotel. If hotel employees are not given the proper protective clothing including gloves, smock, or uniform, they are at an increased risk of a MRSA infection or bacterial infection. In addition to training housekeeping crews how to properly clean hotel rooms and other areas, safety training is also necessary to prevent spreading the MRSA infection to other employees.

Training for MRSA prevention should include the following:

* Washing hands periodically during the day

* Changing gloves multiple times when cleaning rooms and cleaning public areas such as lobbies, public bathrooms, and restaurant areas (the bacteria can be transferred from gloves to other surfaces easily)

* Covering all wounds and cuts before starting a shift

* Attending to all open wounds immediately to prevent an infection

* Reporting suspicious substances, chemicals, and other items immediately

* Washing uniforms each day after shift is over

Preventing bacterial & MRSA Infection should be a Top Priority

Hotels, motels, and other places that cater to the public need to recognize that preventing bacterial infections like MRSA should be a top priority. By switching to cleaners that kill more bacteria, washing linens and other items in hot water with bleach and disinfectants, and offering frequent training sessions for all employees, cases of MRSA can be greatly reduced in the hospitality industry.

All these precautions are a first line of defense against the killer bacteria but not enough to protect everybody from not getting MRSA infection. The current antibiotics, disinfectants and chlorine products are 99.9% effective against MRSA. The .1% is still causing 18,000 deaths per year. Ninety-nine percent effective just is good enough.

Is there anything to do NOW before more people get a MRSA Infection and die?

Now there really is MRSA prevention. It is a preventative proactive product that kills the MRSA bacteria before they get inside your body. It’s a gas called chlorine dioxide (CL02).

It’s safe, 100% effective and has been used for over 150 years. A special packet design contains the powder that produces CL02 when moisture is added. It emits small amounts of the gas that kills odors, bacteria, germs and best of all, MRSA. It also kills mold and spores which can be another serious health problem.

This new product doesn’t require evacuation of buildings or rooms nor people in HAZMAT suits to apply it. And the cost is considerably less than any HAZMAT treatment or evacuation.

To learn more about killing bacteria, odors, and even the MRSA bacteria for good, keeping your family and you safe from MRSA when you travel, visit Our website.

Debbie McMeyer Visit our OdorXit website.

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MRSA Superbug

Seeing or hearing the letters, MRSA together brings fear to most people because MRSA is known as a superbug. With movies like Pandemic, Virus, Epidemic, The Andromeda Strain, The Outbreak, Panic in the Streets, and other similar movies, people can vividly picture a worse case scenario when it comes to “superbugs”. Separating fact from fiction about MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) can calm fears and prevent the spread of this infection.

Though recently MRSA has become newsworthy, its history started many years ago when antibiotics were believed to be a cure all. Patents actively requested antibiotics and doctors freely prescribed them. Staphylococcus proved to be smarter than humans and mutated to survive. A strain developed that is resistant to common antibiotic treatment and it no longer is confined to hospitals (up to 33% of the population are carriers).

MRSA Fact And Fiction:

• Fiction-MRSA is a superbug that cannot be treated with antibiotics.
• Fact-MRSA can be treated with antibiotics. It is the penicillin related (like methicillin) antibiotics that are ineffective on MRSA.
• Fiction-MRSA is a superbug that will kill you.
• Fact-MRSA can be treated in healthy adults. Early detection reduces the risk of death for everyone. Young children and anyone with a compromised immune system is at a higher risk for death from MRSA. Many people who contract MRSA are in hospitals, nursing facilities, and other places that care for people who are ill to begin with.
• Fiction-MRSA is only found in hospitals.
• Fact-About 33% of the population are MRSA carriers (it lives primarily in the nose). Nursing homes, gymnasiums, and businesses have MRSA on many of its surfaces that are commonly touched.

The prevention of MRSA:

• Prevention of MRSA is as easy as washing your hands and using hand disinfectant. This should be done when touching common areas in public places, especially in hospitals. Any time someone touches their nose they should wash their hands. Parents and caregivers should also wash their hands when helping someone who cannot wipe their own nose.
• Build a strong immune system by eating right, taking supplements, getting adequate rest, and reducing stress to prevent the superbug MRSA from causing an infection when there is unavoidable contact with the infection.
• Keep open sores clean and when need be, covered.

Recognizing MRSA Signs And Symptoms:

• All Staph infections, including MRSA, will begin as small red bumps that look like pimples, boils or spider bites.
• A deep and painful abscess that requires medical intervention like surgical draining.
• When an MRSA bacterium spreads deep into the body, it can cause infections in bones, joints, surgical wounds, the bloodstream, heart valves, and lungs. For some, this infection can be life-threatening.

Treatment of MRSA:

• Before antibiotics are started for a skin infection, a health care professional should test it for staph bacteria (which includes MRSA), to prescribe the most effective treatment.
• Treatment of MRSA won’t always include antibiotics. To avoid outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant MRSA, vancomycin may be saved for those most at risk of the infection spreading and those most at risk for death. In healthy people, some doctors may choose to drain an abscess caused by MRSA rather than treat the infection with drugs. Some hospitals are already seeing vancomycin-resistant MRSA.

Alternative medicine and MRSA:

• Manuka honey kills MRSA (remember, honey never should be given internally to anyone under 1 year old)
• Colloidal silver kills MRSA
• Tea tree oil kills MRSA

Using alternative medicine to find out other treatments that are effective should be done with the supervision of someone who is professionally trained in that area and with the supervision of a health care professional who can test the effectiveness.

Though there are parts of the population that are at higher risk for complications and even death from the superbug, MRSA, it is still a treatable and preventable infection for a high percentage of the population.

Bob helps people understand this Superbug by writing articles about MRSA Superbug and other topics.

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