This year a drug-resistant strain of staph infection called MRSA will kill more people in the United States than the AIDS virus!

In 2005 the MRSA strain caused 94,000 life threatening infections and 19,000 deaths with the total expected to explode in 2007 and 2008.

So what can we do to protect ourselves against this deadly, antibiotic-resistant superbug?

1. Avoid walking around the gym or bathroom barefoot if you have any cuts or scrapes on your feet. Even the smallest nick can cause infection.
2. Wash your hands! You can get the staph germs on your hands and transmit it to an open area on your skin.. like when you shave!
3. Take a shower after you sweat. The germs thrive in hot humid areas and excessive sweating has been known to increase the odds of contracting MRSA.
4. Don’t share bed linens, towels or clothes with someone who has symptoms of MRSA.
5. Keep areas of skin that have been injured clean and covered.

Dorms are prime locations for the spread of MRSA. The best advice I can give is to practice cleanliness and good hygiene. You can help prevent staph skin infections by washing your hands frequently and by bathing or showering daily - not that you shouldn’t be doing that anyway.