| Prevention |
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| Educate inmates and correctional staff on MRSA |
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Provide information on the transmission, prevention, treatment, and containment of MRSA infections.
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Post educational materials on the importance of hand hygiene around the facility, especially in restrooms and washing facilities.
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Develop and promote a hand hygiene program that emphasizes washing hands before and after meals, after physical activity, and when hands are visibly dirty.
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Instruct inmates in proper hand hygiene and monitor hand hygiene.
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Provide inmates with adequate amounts of soap and water to wash hands and body thoroughly.
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Instruct inmates to shower and wear clean clothes before and after every physical activity.
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Provide each inmate with at least one clean towel and one clean bedspread a week. If an inmate is infected with MRSA, change linens every other day and towels/washcloths every day.
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Give each inmate a package of hygiene products for personal use (soap, razors, etc.).
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Instruct inmates to use a barrier between skin and shared nonpersonal items and wipe shared equipment before and after use.
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Routinely clean all washable nonporous surfaces with an Environmental Protection Agencyregistered disinfectant.
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Daily, thoroughly clean and disinfect all facilities where inmates’ bare skin may come into contact with shared nonpersonal items (e.g., gym equipment).
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Routinely inspect living and bathroom areas and identify visibly dirty areas; clean accordingly.
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Launder inmate clothing and linens at least once a week. Treat all soiled clothing as infectious and handle as little as possible. If an inmate is infected, launder clothing and linens daily.
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| Enable the practice of good personal hygiene |
| Decrease contact between inmates through sharing of personal items |
| Practice good environmental hygiene |
| Treatment |
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| Routinely clean wounds and cover all SSTIs at all times |
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For minor SSTIs, use warm soaks and compression 2–3 times daily.
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Carefully puncture and drain minor SSTIs of excess fluid. Monitor fluid in SSTIs and repeat drainage when necessary.
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Bandage and clean all wounds and scrapes at least once a day.
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Culture all SSTIs and assess susceptibility of infection.
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Treat S. aureus infections with appropriate antibiotic for at least 7 days.
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After completion of treatment, frequently reevaluate inmates to ensure new infections have not developed.
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| Determine appropriate antibiotic therapy for S. aureus infection |
| Containment |
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| Practice correctional contact precautions when health care workers come in contact with a suspected |
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Wear gloves when touching an infected inmate or contaminated materials and change after contact has ended. Use other personal protective equipment if splashing or spraying is expected.
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Wash hands thoroughly before and after touching infected skin or changing dressings.
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Always use single-use disposable items.
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Dispose of contaminated sharp materials properly in a leak-proof, puncture-resistant container.
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Dispose of and remove trash containing contaminated materials daily.
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Use an EPA-approved disinfectant and daily thoroughly wash all nonporous surfaces.
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Determine if an inmate’s condition requires isolation from the general population. If a wound is properly dressed and can contain drainage, the inmate need not be isolated. If drainage cannot be properly contained by a dressing or the inmate is unable to properly keep the wound covered, house the inmate in a single cell.
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Medical personnel should decide if inmate’s visitors/activities should be restricted.
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Identify all SSTIs present on incoming inmates.
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Culture each SSTI and test for S. aureus.
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Run a susceptibility pattern to determine proper treatment and, if necessary, treat inmate with appropriate antibiotic.
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Bandage and properly clean all SSTIs.
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| MRSA-infected inmate |
| Implement proper isolation procedures |
| Screen incoming inmates for S. aureus and MRSA infection/colonization |
