Medical Advice. My father-in-law was in the emergency room with an ugly staph infection. I have a baby...?

I have a 4 month old baby and my husband is thinking of invting my in-laws to stay with us Thanksgiving week. I'm concerned that my father-in-law will still be contagious. If so, I don't want him having any contact with my baby. Does anyone know how long it takes for a staph infection to completely heal? He was treated with an IV because antibiotics can't treat an MSRP staph infection. His infection was on his arm, a black, large boil.

It sounds like he has MRSA, methacillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. It is considered a "super bug" and is very hard to get rid of. Even if he does not have an active infection, he could (and probably will be) still colonized with the bacteria. It is mostly passed by skin to skin contact or contact with surfaces that are used from person to person such as gym equipment.

A fair percentage of the population is colonized with this bacteria, and under normal circumstances it doesn't pose a large threat to those with healthy immune systems.
Ultimately the choice is up to you. There is a small risk of the baby contracting MRSA which under the right circumstances can be deadly. However, we could contract MRSA from numerous sources. You yourself could be walking around colonized and never even know it, unless it became an active infection.

If you do decide to have him over for the holiday, good hand hygiene is essential to prevent spreading of germs if he does come in contact with your baby. If he or the baby has any open cuts or sores then I would definitely not let them have skin to skin contact.

For more information on MRSA check out...
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS...

Best way is to avoid them having them over. Sorry to tell you this. But, this is for your own baby's sake. Its better to be safe than Sorry. I'm pretty sure your in laws will understand. . Tell them that your doctor told you to keep you new born away from anyone is sick or infected. A new born is really easily to get any kind of sickness.

Also, Staph infection is contagious.

This is something that you probably have never heard, but I swear it is true and have seen it work with my own eyes. Tell your father in law to grate a raw potato then place the pieces on his arm and wrap around them with sterile gauze. Do this twice a day and the infection will not only disappear, but will also no longer be contagious.

What is MRSA?
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus is a common type of staph bacterium which lives on the skin and in the nasal passages of around 30% of the population. Mostly, this staph aureus bacterium does no harm and does not pose a problem with infection or require a cure. But, like many bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus has the ability to pose a serious infection problem, if you are feeling run down, ill, injured or if you have undergone any form of surgery. It can cause a very serious staph infection, if it enters the body, such as through open wounds, or instruments placed in the body, or by cross-contamination from another patient, nursing staff or specialist. Without proper treatment, this can lead to death or be difficult to cure.

MRSA infections are most commonly transmitted from person to person by touch. It is also possible to acquire MRSA infection from dust containing contaminated skin particles or from objects in the environment, or from surfaces that may be contaminated with the MRSA bacterium.

An antibiotic called Methicillin was used for the treatment and cure of infections caused by staph bacterium. The term 'Methicillin resistant' means that this type of antibiotic can no longer kill 100% of the staph bacterium and another antibiotic needs to be used, if available. If Methicillin can no longer be used for the treatment and cure of Staphylococcus aureus infection, it is medically referred to as MRSA.

The Causation of MRSA
Antibiotics have been in use for many years as a successfull treatment and cure for staph infections. However, these antibiotics have been overused, misused and over prescribed as a cure for staph aureus infection for many years. It is fairly common for people to not complete a course of antibiotics, or not use as prescribed. If this happens, it is probable that not 100% of the bacterium that caused staph infection will have been killed. Surviving staph bacterium develop a resistance to this antibiotic and multiply. As more and more antibiotics are prescribed, the number of staph bacterium that are able to resist those antibiotics become more numerous. The biggest problem with the use of antibiotics, is that they are non-focused. Therefore, they do not discriminate between good and bad bacteria, otherwise known as 'Flora' which can be found in the large intestines and form a large part of the bodies immune system. Without this immune system protection, 'superbugs' are free to develop.

Treatment of MRSA
MRSA can be treated with different antibiotics to Methicillin. However, this is becoming increasingly difficult. Medications, such as antiseptic wash and certain ointments can be used to remove MRSA from the nasal passages and skin. Even when it is doing no harm to the individual. However, there is now a new product that has been proven to be effective in killing all MRSA bacterium and a lot of other known pathogens. The New Silver Solution is non-toxic, proven in multiple tests at 200 times the recommended dosage. The New Silver Solution is the first colloidal silver product to attain a new patent in over 80 years. This product can be used internally, externally and as a surfectant, to both prevent and cure MRSA infection. The New Silver Solution can also be used with animals and all our test data shows it to be very effective.

http://www.mrsamedical.com/