Treatment will depend on your child’s symptoms, age and general health. It will also depend on how severe the condition is. If caught early, a MRSA infection can be easy to treat.
If your child has a mild MRSA skin infection, the health care provider will likely treat it by opening the infected sore and draining out the fluid (pus). You might be given a prescription antibiotic ointment to use on your child. Your child might need to take antibiotic medicine by mouth. Your health care provider will tell you how to keep your child’s wound clean and covered while it heals.
If the infection has spread to other parts of the body, your child may need treatment with IV antibiotics in the hospital. In some cases, such as infection of the joints, your child may need surgery to drain the infection.
If taking antibiotic medicine by mouth, make sure your child:
- Takes every dose on time as directed
- Finishes all the medicine, even if he or she feels better
Many infections can be cured within one week, but others may take longer. Your health care provider may want to follow up and make sure the infection is gone.
If the infection returns often, your child’s health care provider may advise special bathing such as:
- Baths in diluted bleach water, with 1/2 cup of bleach in a tub that is 1/4 full of water
- Washing your child’s body with an antibacterial soap such as chlorhexidine
Another way to manage MRSA infection is to remove the bacteria from places where they often live and grow, such as the nose. Your child’s health care provider may advise using an antibiotic medicine in your child's nose to kill MRSA there.
Talk with your child’s health care providers about the risks, benefits, and possible side effects of all medicines.