Protect your family from superbugs

While we await these drug breakthroughs, there is still real fear among both ordinary Canadians and the medical community about the next outbreak of an untreatable infection. Healthy citizens going about their work and play wonder if and when they might catch a bug that doesn't go away and lands them in the hospital – or worse. For the Elron family, life is getting back to normal. After being released from the hospital more than a year ago, Gaya recovered, caught up on her homework and returned to school, her cross-country races and playing with friends. Her parents have resumed their whirlwind schedule of chauffeuring Gaya and her brothers to various activities. Although it is unlikely Gaya will ever forget her battle against staph, in the end, her resilience triumphed. In her fight for her life, she emerged the winner.

How to protect your family
Here are some tips to keep your family safe from infection by a superbug, from Louise Holmes, an educator at Vancouver Coastal Health–Communicable Disease Control.

• Wash your hands. Wash regularly with soap and water or with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Do this before eating or preparing food, after you go out and after any activities that soil your hands.
• Keep clean. Bathe or shower regularly. When you need to cough or sneeze, do so into a tissue or the inside of your elbow.
• Houseclean frequently. In particular, clean frequently touched surfaces and countertops. Toilets and sinks should at the very least be kept visibly clean and routinely wiped with disinfectant.
• Cover open wounds. Cover any open cut or abrasion with a bandage and avoid skin-to-skin contact until it’s healed.
• Handle sports equipment wisely. Clean sporting equipment between uses and keep your own gear for your use only.
• Minimize antibiotic use. Use properly. Do not expect a prescription every time you go to a doctor.
• Keep your germs to yourself. If you’re sick, stay at home. Keep kids home from school if they’re not well.
• In public, try to keep one to two metres away from people. Whenever possible, sit beside people rather than across from them, to minimize transmission of airborne infections.
• Keep family members up-to-date on their immunizations.
• Eat well, get plenty of sleep and exercise regularly.

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