Preventing MRSA and Other Infections 
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
 
Personal Hygiene 
• Wash hands before preparing food or eating, before and after touching wounds 
or bandages, after coughing/sneezing/blowing your nose, or whenever hands are 
visibly soiled. 
• Shower daily–always after working out–dry off with your own clean towel and 
put on clean clothes. 
• Do not share personal items like towels, bar soap, wash cloths, razors, 
clothing or jars of ointment–even among family members. 
• Use clothing or a towel as a barrier between skin and shared surfaces, like 
exercise equipment. 
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or shirt sleeve when sneezing or 
coughing. 
• Properly dispose of tissues.
 
Hand Hygiene 
• Wash hands with soap and water and scrub for at least 15-20 seconds. Dry with 
a clean cloth or paper towel, or forced warm air. 
• An alcohol-based hand sanitizer, like Purell, is perfectly acceptable to use 
when soap and water are not available.
 
Wound Care 
• Keep wounds clean, dry and covered with a fresh bandage. 
• Avoid touching other people’s wounds or soiled bandages. Properly dispose of 
all wound care bandages. 
• Watch for signs of infection. If a cut or scrape becomes red, swollen, 
painful, warm to the touch or starts draining pus, consult your healthcare provider. 
• If wound drainage can not be fully contained under a bandage, avoid close 
contact with others (work, school, sports activities) to prevent the spread of MRSA. 

Antibiotics-Medications 
• Use antibiotics only as directed by a healthcare provider. 
• Do not take antibiotics for viral infections, like colds and flu. 
• Do not save antibiotics for later use or share them with others. 

Cleaning 
• Routinely disinfect common touch surfaces (i.e., door knobs, desks, keyboards, 
shared toys, shared equipment, and phones) 
• Follow label instructions for appropriate dilutions and contact times to be 
sure that surfaces are properly disinfected. 
• Types of disinfecting products include diluted bleach (1:100) and Lysol.
 
Laundry 
• Wash clothes, towels and sheets in water at the hottest suitable temperature 
with laundry detergent. Add bleach, if desired. (check label instructions). 
• Dry in a dryer at hottest suitable temperature- do not line dry. 

For more information call 1-888-295-5156

Delaware Division of Public Health
Bureau of Epidemiology
417 Federal Street
Dover, Delaware 19901
(302) 744-4541