Risk assessment – Home

We like to do what we want, when we want, and when things go wrong there is always someone else to blame. Unfortunately when it comes to the home the buck stops with the parents. Scream as you like, protest as you like, it does not matter. Unless someone takes the time to look at your home and make sure that MRSA does not have a breeding ground then someone will get sick and may die.

High risk places in the home

* Bathroom/toilet

There is a high risk MRSA gets onto your hands every time you use the toilet as the parts of the body near the genitals are very liable to be colonized with MRSA. So wash your hands thoroughly and dry them every time you go to the toilet. Make sure the wash hand basin is in the same room as the toilet, or you'll spread MRSA onto the door handles. Make sure your hands are dry before you touch the door handle again. Sounds simple and yet it is not being done. All too often we leave the toilet without washing our hands or without wiping them. We leave MRSA on the door handle to contaminate the next person. We must clean the whole area regularly and make sure that we do not allow anyone from the youngest to the eldest to mess the place up with MRSA.

* Kitchen.

Are your hands washed and clean before food preparation? Are your hands washed and clean before doing the dishes. Do children play in the kitchen on the work counters or table and spread MRSA? Stop it and start again with a whole new regime in the kitchen to keep MRSA at bay.

* Where you store all that sports gear

One season ends and the next sports season begins. Then the chore comes where all the sports gear needs to be cleaned, and put away. How many of you have cleaned the bats and balls, the protective gear and the towels? How many of your children share the same bats, balls and protective gear. Take all the shirts and wash them. If they are too dirty or there are too many of them then take them to the Laundromat and wash them there or ask for them to be washed for you. This includes the towel used when anyone goes golfing. While you are doing all of this you can check everything you wear, and decide if next season you'll need new. Remember don’t share. Don’t leave it lying around. Wash and use it. Now there may be more research into the storage of sports gear where you will need to wash things more regularly. I don’t make the rules but I know that not to wash and clean things at least every season is a major danger for you and your children.

* Your backyard

Your backyard needs to be regularly cut to avoid MRSA sticking to the grass when the children play. Animal excrement needs to be removed and disposed of. We all need to clean up our backyard and do it thoroughly.

* The bedrooms

We carry the virus on our body. In very hot weather we can easily transfer MRSA onto the sheets by not wearing any nightwear. The answer is to regularly wash the sheets. Then there is a teenager’s debris where clothes get thrown onto the floor. If it’s on the floor wash it. Clean the floor as well.

We will be looking at the dangers of pets to pets in another article in this series, but I hope I have started you thinking about cutting down the amount of MRSA you and your family spread to your household.