Family wants hand sanitizers in schools

Link: Bradenton.com | 04/22/2008 | Family wants hand sanitizers in schools.

Family wants Manatee County Schools to add hand sanitizers to protect against MRSA After their daughter, Hannah, nearly died of severe pneumonia complicated by antibiotic resistant staph infection, Kim and Scott Ryan are on a mission. They want to see hand santizers in all Manatee County schools to help protect children and staff from Methicillin-resistant staph aureus or MRSA. A form of staph bacteria that has been around for centuries, MRSA is everywhere, according to Dr. David Berman, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg who helped save Hannah's life. While MRSA pneumonia is a relatively new and rare infection, All Children's has been seeing an increase number of skin infections caused by the community acquired strain of the antibiotic resistant bacterium, Berman said. Berman supports the Ryans' call for increased emphasis on prevention. And the best prevention, Berman said, is simple soap and water. He advocates teaching good hand-washing skills (rubbing your hands with soapy suds for one complete singing of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star") and the availability of hand santizers and alcohol-based hand rubs in high traffic places where soap and water are not available.