POZseednbreed: MRSA is staph, it is just an antibiotic resistant form. Staph can get worse over time to where it is resistant and should not be blithely dismissed. MRSA can infect skin as well as organs. Organ infection can be deadly serious and require vancomyecin (sp?) to treat which is hard on the body, VERY expensive and requires hospital quarantine. Went thru this with a relative.
Skin staph needs to be diagnosed by a doctor and can be treated with a prescription cream and diluted bleach baths. (1 c bleach in standard bath tub, soak for 20 mins. 1-2x week till cleared). Bed sheets, clothing, towels and any surface the infected area touches need to be washed and sanitized daily till infection is healed.
Staph and MRSA are VERY contagious and need to be treated immediately, Infections are often red or purple boil like nodules under the skin that are sore and leave perm purple scars. Sometimes staph is mistaken for a spider bite so get it checked out.
Yes we cant avoid this stuff but do take it seriously and get it cleared up.