Close skin-to-skin contact

Openings in the skin, like cuts or abrasions

Contaminated items and surfaces

Poor hygiene

How can I protect myself and my family from hospital and community acquired infections?

Chances of contracting all types of healthcare associated infections are significantly reduced by maintaining good hand hygiene and not sharing personal items.  In shared facilities, for instance, in gyms, it would be considered a sensible precaution and good practice to place a towel on the bench before sitting, as would ensuring the facilities are cleaned frequently and that there is good ventilation to the changing room and showers.

Other simple measures are regular bathing and showering, regular changing of linen and underwear, effective hand washing, avoiding sharing personal items such as toothbrushes, face cloths, towels, and razors etcetera, and keeping wounds covered.  It is always good practice to maintain appropriate hygiene measures which include proper cleansing and disinfection of cuts and minor wounds.  Wounds should be covered with a bandage until healed and you should avoid contact with other peoples' bandages and lesions unless you are helping them care for their wounds.  If the infection spreads or recurs seek medical advice for further investigation and/or treatment, such spreading infection should not be ignored.  Some simple measures to help reduce the risks of infection include:

Washing your hands when visiting the bathroom, preparing food and before eating.  Use soap and water and wash thoroughly.  Using the technique recommended by the National Patient Safety Agency will help, as a guide using this technique takes about as long as it takes you to recite the alphabet

Cover cuts and scrapes with a clean bandage.  This will help the wound heal. It will also prevent you from spreading bacteria to other people

Avoid touching other people's wounds or bandages unless you are helping with clinical care and have been instructed on how to do this safely

Avoid sharing personal items like towels or razors.  If you use any shared gym equipment, it would be considered a sensible precaution to wipe it with antibacterial wipes before and after you use it

Washing laundry at 60 degrees for 10 minutes will kill MRSA and Clostridium difficile bacteria.  Drying clothes, sheets, and towels in a dryer and ironing helps kill bacteria

For delicate fabrics and to save on energy washing at 30 degrees or less would require adding antibacterial detergents to the wash cycle, check the manufacturers information on whether their product has been tested

It makes sense to follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding your washing machine, most recommend cleaning it out at least once a month with the machine empty and a full load of detergent at the hottest wash cycle

You can download our information leaflet "Advice for those affected by MRSA outside of hospital" here

NHS Choices guidance on hygiene at home