10 Most Infamous Stains in History

HowStuffWorks.com

By Nathan Chandler

Everyone has a stain story. One time your cousin stumbled down the stairs carrying a bottle of ketchup. The resulting mess resembled a gory crime scene...and required the expertise of professional carpet cleaners. You even had to repaint part of the ceiling to obscure the tasty reddish disaster.

But those kinds of stain stories generally stay within the family circle. No one else really cares to hear about your crazy, tipsy relatives getting careless with condiments.

In the course of human history, though, there have been some truly epic stains. Stains that no laundry detergent can rinse from our collective story. Stains that perhaps change the course of millions of lives.

For better or worse, those kinds of stains are the toughest to get out. Not only do they permanently damage clothing and other materials, there most lasting impression, really is on our psyches.

Keep reading and your'll learn all about 10 of the most infamous stains ever to leave their mark on human possessions and our minds too.

Bio-One Raleigh are specialists in cleaning crime scenes, unattended deaths, medical traumas, and other biohazards, as well as hoarding cleanout, mold remediation and so much more. Karen & Rick Jacobs are the owners of Bio-One Raleigh and Raleigh Hoarding. We offer trauma, mold and hoarding cleanup services including biohazard, blood cleanup, suicide/homicide, feces & bodily fluid, animal waste, undiscovered death, and mold testing & remediation.

We proudly serve North Carolina’s Triangle & Triad areas including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, Pittsboro, Holly Springs, Clayton, Carrboro, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Hillsborough, Mebane, Morrisville, Wake Forest, and Wendell; as well as the following counties; Wake County, Durham County, Cumberland County, Guilford County, Orange County, Chatham County, Harnett County, Johnston County, Nash County, Franklin County and Pill County. We also provide services to Greensboro and other areas throughout North Carolina.

Bio-One Inc. is the world's first crime scene cleaning franchise. Nationally respected and locally owned, Bio-One has earned its reputation through being trusted to handle the Mandalay Bay mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017, the Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida in 2016, and consulted on the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012. In 2019, Bio-One was once again included in the best and most comprehensive franchise ranking list – Entrepreneur Magazine.

PsychiatryAdvisor

October 4, 2018 by Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW

Suicide, the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, is on the rise.1 In 2016, nearly 45,000 Americans 10 or older died by suicide, up by 30% since 1999.1 An individual’s death by suicide has far-reaching effects on a wide range of people, including immediate and extended family, friends, acquaintances, and healthcare and mental health professionals.2

“The grief after losing a loved one to suicide has points of commonality with grief following other types of losses of loved ones, but it also has unique features,” Sidney Zisook, MD, professor of psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, told Psychiatry Advisor.

Shrouded in Silence

“Stigma is probably at the top of the list of issues that affect people bereaved by a loved one’s suicide,” Dr Zisook said.

A literature review comparing suicide-bereaved (SB) families to other bereaved groups found that SB families report higher levels of rejection, shame, stigma, the need to conceal the loved one’s cause of death, and blaming.3 Stigma may derive from a “societal perception that the act of suicide is a failure by the victim and the family to deal with some emotional issue.”4 Stigma and shame are barriers to seeking help and receiving support from mental health professionals as well as friends and family.5

“I have treated people where a suicide in the family has never been acknowledged or talked about,” Dr Zisook recounted.

He described a patient in his 70s who had lost his father to suicide when he was young, but it was never mentioned or discussed by his family. “Finally, he was able to talk and cry about it and regretted that he had never been allowed to talk about it until now and that it had been shrouded in silence,” he said.

Guilt and Blame

Feelings of guilt often overlap with shame, compounding the sense of stigma. SB individuals often experience “intense guilt or feelings of responsibility for the death.”6

Although self-blame can be present after any loss, it is more common after a suicidal loss, Dr Zisook observed. “There is a frequent feeling that you could or should have done something to prevent it, and guilt is very common.”

Self-blame is one aspect of a broader tendency to find someone to blame for the suicide, he noted.

“The survivor may blame the person who made the choice to die or may blame someone else who didn’t do enough, didn’t provide enough care, didn’t return a phone call, missed important cues, had an argument or disappointed the person, or could have interrupted or prevented the death in some way. Or the survivor may blame the doctor for missing signals, not treating depression, or prescribing the wrong drug,” Dr Zisook said.

Self-blame is particularly strong when the deceased is an individual’s child.

“Losing any relative to suicide is traumatic, but there’s probably no greater nightmare [than losing a child to suicide], since parents feel their job is to support their children, care for them, make them happy, and make their lives good, so suicide can make parents feel like a failure in this most important job of their lives,” he commented.

Rumination and Anger

Rumination is common in SB individuals and is unique compared with the responses of bereaved individuals to other losses, Dr Zisook pointed out.

“When someone dies of cancer, relatives do not typically wonder why the person died, while in suicide, survivors are plagued as to why the person did it — why, why, why,” he said.

The suicide sometimes comes as a “total shock” to the survivors, who may think, “He seemed to be doing better.” “She had turned her life around.” “He was making plans for the future.”

Coupled with rumination are feelings of rejection and abandonment: “Why did she do this to me?” “Didn’t he love me?” “How could she leave me?”

These feelings can lead to anger at the deceased,6 which can compound the guilt.

Complicated Grief and Depression

Rumination contributes to complicated grief (CG), a “painful and debilitating condition…characterized by prolonged, acute grief and complicating psychological features such as self-blaming thoughts and excessive avoidance of reminders of the loss.”7 Conversely, instead of avoiding reminders of the deceased, some SB people may “spend long periods of time trying to feel closer to the deceased through pictures, keepsakes, clothing, or other items associated with the loved one.”8 Left untreated, CG can last for years, if not indefinitely.7 “Losing a loved one to suicide can be a risk factor for CG,” Dr Zisook said.

“Mourning is the process by which bereaved people seek and find ways to turn the light on in the world again. When successful, mourning leads people to feel deeply connected to deceased loved ones while also [being] able to imagine a satisfying future without them…Grief has been transformed and integrated” and the “continued presence of the loss is no longer insistent and disruptive.”8

In contrast, CG is a “chronic impairing form of grief brought about by interference with the healing process” that “derails” the mourning process and “prevents the natural healing process from progressing.”8

Mental and Physical Health Sequelae

SB individuals are vulnerable to physical, psychological, and psychosomatic difficulties.9 One study found that one-quarter of people bereaved by suicide experience elevated levels of depression and stress and close to one-fifth have elevated levels of anxiety,10 as well as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and impairment in social and employment settings.6 Psychosomatic reactions included physical or severe abdominal pain, loss of appetite, low energy levels, and sleep disruptions.10

Survivors are themselves at high risk for suicidal thoughts or completed suicide.11 A study of 3432 young adults who had lost close friends or family members to suicide found they had a higher probability of attempting suicide than individuals bereaved by deaths due to sudden, natural causes. Of note, the effect of SB was similar regardless of whether bereaved participants were or were not blood-related to the deceased.12

Impact on the Family Unit

The suicide of a family member leaves an indelible mark on the survivors, affecting each individual, the family as a whole, and also larger social networks.13 The impact of the suicide is to some extent informed by the family’s function or dysfunction prior to the suicide.13 Moreover, the suicide may affect family communication and the developmental processes of children.13 Marital breakup is also more common in parents of children who died by suicide.14

Postvention Approaches

“Postvention,” a term coined by Schneidman, refers to clinical care provided after a suicide.2,15

Complicated grief therapy

Complicated grief therapy (CGT), a manualized, structured, 16-session protocol, has been shown to be effective in treating CG in SB adults.7 It includes self-regulation, focusing on aspirational goals, rebuilding connections, revisiting the story of the death, revisiting the world, and creating memories/continuing bonds.7

Proactive discussion and education

Dr Zisook recommended “opening a dialogue and talking to patients who have lost someone to suicide to normalize it, in a sense — meaning, to normalize their reactions, let them know how difficult it can be to talk about, and educate the person about lingering feelings, such as self-blame.”

He suggested addressing guilt and “letting the survivor know — for example, if they had an argument with the deceased — that the argument is not what killed the person, but rather a host of events that occur in someone with a mental illness, creating a perfect storm that overwhelmed the person and made him or her feel there was no other option.”

Support Groups

Emotional support is important, and a homogeneous support group is more helpful than a generalized group, Dr Zisook said. For example, SB parents will likely benefit more from a support group specifically for parents whose children have died by suicide than a heterogeneous group of parents who have lost children.

Education and information about support groups can be found at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (https://afsp.org/) and the American Association of Suicidology (https://www.suicidology.org/).

Does pharmacotherapy have a role?

Pharmacotherapy without psychosocial interventions is not helpful, Dr Zisook emphasized. His group compared citalopram monotherapy with citalopram with citalopram plus CGT in 58 individuals who suffered CG following suicide bereavement and found that only 35% of participants in the medication group completed medication treatment vs 81% in the combination group.7 Moreover, improvements in the CGT were “substantial.” CGT was both well accepted and effective in ameliorating symptom severity, passive suicidal ideation, grief-related functional impairment, avoidance, and maladaptive beliefs.7

Family Counseling

Bereavement family counseling can facilitate the grieving process.16 It is important to educate family members about the different ways in which individuals may deal with grief to facilitate their understanding of each other.16 Family members may also need practical or financial assistance — eg, help with funeral arrangements and expenses or childcare.16

Other Healing Modalities

Helpful activities might include rituals, ceremonies, lighting candles, reviewing pictures and mementoes, finding new information about the deceased person or even his/her death, and engaging in artistic expression.2 Religious and spiritual activities can be helpful to some people, as can engaging in regular physical activity, good nutrition, sleep hygiene, and “taking time out” from grief.2

Conclusion

The suicide of celebrities such as Robin Williams and Anthony Bourdain have drawn attention to the issue of suicide and opened up channels for discussion, Dr Zisook noted, and the designation of September as National Suicide Awareness Month17 is an important step in bringing awareness to this urgent issue.

“These inroads are helping us to break through stigma, but we still have a long way to go,” he said.

There is a big difference between cleaning, disinfecting, and disinfecting. If your home or business has been exposed to dangerous pathogens, it is imperative to know the difference so that you can make sound decisions. An area can look spotless, but can actually be teaming with bacteria and other harmful pathogens.

Cleaning: free from foreign matter or pollution. Cleaning doesn’t get rid of germs, but it does reduce the overall number of germs by removing visible debris.

Disinfecting: a chemical process that lessens and/or kills 99.999% of bacteria in 30 seconds during the Official Detergent Sanitizer Test (a public health test). Disinfecting is used in bar and restaurant situations where areas must be treated quickly.

Disinfecting: kills ALL organisms in 10 minutes during the AOAC (Association of Analytical Communities) Use Dilution Test, (a test regulated by the EPA). Disinfecting requires a much stronger solution than disinfecting. Taking 10 minutes to disinfect a restaurant booth would not be efficient or practical, but in a hospital room where blood and other bodily fluids have been present, it is essential.

Be aware, you cannot disinfect or disinfect an area if it is visibly dirty. So, cleaning an area is always the first step. In order to effectively disinfect or disinfect an area, all dirt, dust, grease, food particles and other debris must be removed first.

Given the above information, how do you make a decision whether to clean, disinfect, or disinfect? In many situations, all three are done. Take again, a restaurant, as an example. When a restaurant is busy, staff will clean and quickly disinfect tabletops, glasses, etc. After the restaurant is closed, staff can take more time to disinfect areas. A good rule of thumb is: disinfect places where food has been, disinfect places where bodily fluids or fecal matter have been.

All of the above holds true for normal everyday cleaning, disinfecting, and disinfecting. If, however, you have to deal with a hoarding situation, contamination from death and decomposition (link to blog article), or other more extreme situations, it is best to – at the very least – have a professional assess the situation for you.

At Bio-One Raleigh, we use a myriad of methods, chemicals and processes to ensure the area is safe; hospital-grade cleaners, fogging, ozone treatments and others. Contact us for a free, no obligation evaluation and estimate.

Jason Widen is the owner of Bio-One Raleigh and Raleigh Hoarding. We offer trauma, mold and hoarding cleanup services including biohazard, blood cleanup, suicide/homicide, feces & bodily fluid, animal waste, undiscovered death, and mold testing & remediation.

We proudly serve North Carolina’s Triangle & surrounding areas including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, Pittsboro, Holly Springs, Clayton, Carrboro, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Hillsborough, Mebane, Morrisville, Wake Forest, and Wendell; as well as the following counties; Wake County, Durham County, Cumberland County, Guilford County, Orange County, Chatham County, Harnett County, Johnston County, Nash County, Franklin County and Pill County. We also provide services to Greensboro and other areas throughout North Carolina.

Bats are endangered mammals and are protected by both federal and state laws. Most states don’t allow bat removal during the months when bats could have young in the nest site. Some states also protect bats from removal during winter months when they may hibernate in attics. Fortunately for you, it’s now the time of year when humane bat removal is legally allowed.

Bats and Their Young Are Protected

Bat babies can be present anytime from mid-May to mid-August. In most cases, bat pups are able to fly in July but don’t completely leave the nest for a few more weeks. If you close up openings or remove the mom during summer months when young are still in the nest, you will likely seal bat pups into your attic. The young will either die and smell, or they may find their way down into your living space.

By mid-August, bats generally leave the nursery site (your attic) to find a place to spend the winter. In North Carolina, humane bat removal is allowed beginning August, and must be completed before the first newborn bats may be present.

THERE'S A NARROW WINDOW FOR REMOVAL

Some bats do not migrate but spend the winter where they are, which might be your attic. Generally, the best time to remove the bats and remediate the toxic bat guano is fall bat between mid-August (when the young have left) and mid-October (when winter dens are established). During that narrow window, a company can humanely and legally remove any bats that are present and can “bat-proof” your home, sealing any openings that bats use to get inside.

Bio-One Raleigh can then ensure you attic space and any other area that has been contaminated by the bat guano is safely remediated and disinfectd. Call us today for a free, no obligation estimated.

One of the biggest problems that comes with having a colony of bats roosting in a building or home is the large amount of waste, or guano, left behind. Bats eat a lot of insects, and have a high metabolism, and each bat poops 20-30 times per day, leaving behind a whole heck of a lot of bat poo! These are the primary reasons you want to clean up the guano after the bats are gone:

- The guano can grow a type of fungus that can cause the lung disease histoplasmosis in humans.
- The same can happen to pets too. What Diseases Can Bats Give to Pets? - The droppings just plain smell bad, and in quantity, have an odor that can overpower the house.
- The droppings and urine are corrosive to wood and metal, and can compromise the structural integrity of the building. In short, the wood can rot.
- The droppings and the scent will lure in other animals and insects - I often see hundreds of cockroaches crawling on bat guano.
- Read about How Dangerous Are Bat Droppings?

Here are the proper steps for cleaning bat guano out of an attic or any other space:

Step 1: Make certain the bats are all removed, and the building is sealed so none can get back in.
Step 2: Remove lose droppings on smooth surfaces by vacuum, as seen in the below photo, and scrub such surfaces with an enzyme-based cleaner.
Step 3: Remove all soiled insulation - you're not going to be able to clean it. If it's not too badly soiled, you can just spray it with the cleaner.
Step 4: Fog the entire attic space with the special cleaner.

Bio-One Raleigh is your go-to, trusted company for the removal and remediation of bat guano. We are here 24/7/365. Contact us with any questions and a free, no obligation estimate.

Karen & Rick Jacobs are the owners of Bio-One Raleigh and Raleigh Hoarding. We offer trauma, mold and hoarding cleanup services including biohazard, blood cleanup, suicide/homicide, feces & bodily fluid, animal waste, undiscovered death, and mold testing & remediation.

Lingering odors frustrate homeowners and business owners alike. Cigarette smoke, animal waste and mold produce foul, pervasive smells that are difficult to remove. Despite your best efforts, they often survive over-the-counter cleaning agents and air fresheners, and return with the same potency as before. An ineffectual process of spraying and scrubbing ensues, prolonging the issue and circumventing the problem. Why are some odors so intractable? The answer depends on the concentration of a smell’s source and the permeability of whatever it touches. Cat urine, for example, is a highly concentrated chemical solution that soaks a given area with powerful compounds. These molecules sink deep into porous surfaces and fester over time, making them extremely difficult to remove. Left unattended, these urine stains will produce an overwhelming odor that will only go away if the right cleaning chemicals saturate the affected area. A similar situation occurs in the homes of chronic smokers. While not nearly as concentrated as cat urine, cigarette smoke penetrates walls, carpeting and wooden fixtures. As these surfaces absorb the molecules that irritate our noses, a lingering odor develops. These smells are stubborn and persistent.

Sometimes, they’re even dangerous. Mold, feces and decayed animals produce noxious odors that pollute your home with airborne bacteria. Once inhaled, these germs can cause respiratory problems that require medical treatment. They’re the reason why people who haven’t been trained in biohazard remediation are discouraged from cleaning up unattended deaths and large decomposing animals themselves. Air respirators and other professional equipment are required in these situations to stymie infectious airborne pathogens.

Unfortunately, home appliances and common cleaning solutions are not effective at dealing with lingering odors. Instead of pushing these smells outside, ventilation systems circulate them throughout the home. Your ability to eradicate them depends on where the odors are coming from and the severity of the source. In hoarding situations, unattended trash and waste rot for months and years, creating a cornucopia of complex odors that are nearly impossible to remove. A single pet stain, conversely, can be remedied easily. But if your carpet is continuously soaked with animal waste, or your walls are frequently exposed to cigarette smoke, you may face a more serious challenge. In extreme scenarios, scented candles and reed diffusers will do little to purify the air quality. While fresheners like Febreze neutralize bad smells, they only offer a temporary solution in these situations. Because the odor’s source often lies beneath carpeting, behind vinyl and inside walls, these products only hide the problem. It will resurface once the deodorizer drifts out of the room, leaving you back where you started.

So what are you supposed to do if you’re struggling to remove a lingering odor? You may need to contact a professional odor remediation company to ventilate your home or business. Bio-One Raleigh offers a simple and effective approach to restore your property’s air quality in a timely manner. After identifying the source of the smell, our odor removal experts use powerful chemicals and special equipment to comprehensively decontaminate the area. Fixtures in the home that sustain the odor—like porous walls, carpeting and flooring—will be removed and disposed of in accordance with state regulations. Please give us a call so we can address your unique situation. Our phone lines are open 24/7, any day of the year.

Bio-One Raleigh is owned by Karen & Rick Jacobs. We offer trauma, mold and hoarding cleanup services including biohazard, blood cleanup, suicide/homicide, feces & bodily fluid, animal waste, undiscovered death, and mold testing & remediation.

If a musty odor pervades your home, you should take a closer look at your walls and fixtures. In rooms exposed to moisture, a series of highly concentrated dark patches seem baked into some of the surfaces. At first glance, they resemble insect colonies or messy blots of ink. But you’ll notice that they have a fuzzier, more organic complexion to them. If you come across one of these confusing patterns, it’s clear that you have a mold problem. But you shouldn’t panic. Hiring a mold remediation team quickly will spare you from any serious health hazards and property damage. Despite their infamous reputation, these unsightly fungi are simple and cost-effective to treat during their early stages of development.

Although they are practically ubiquitous indoors and outdoors, mold spores are only bothersome when they begin to reproduce in mass on surfaces in our homes. A colony forms when spores are exposed to water or excessive humidity. When that happens, the fungi will stick to the damp surface and grow in chaotic arrangements, producing unpleasant odors and particles that aggravate our respiratory system. At some point, everyone in the home will start sniffling, sneezing and wheezing. But those with asthma may suffer from an asthma attack if the mold continues to cultivate unattended. Even worse, some species—like black mold—will generate toxins that harm healthy people. For those with allergies or asthma problems, these spores may be fatal. While toxic molds are rare, it’s important to address a colony quickly. Not only will doing so improve the air quality in your home, it will prevent extensive property damage and costly treatments over time. The larger the colony, the larger the price tag.

The EPA says that moldy areas less than 10 square feet can be removed without professional help . But some people may have problems with recurring growth. This likely derives from the mold’s source. Colonies form 24 to 48 hours after they are exposed to water, or in areas with above 50 percent of relative humidity (You can measure relative humidity with a hygrometer bought from a local hardware store). You probably are unable to eliminate the mold because it continues to thrive off moisture in the room. Reducing water exposure—even if it means halting shower use for a couple of weeks—is likely the key to solving the problem. But as mold colonies grow, they become increasingly dangerous to address. Because of the hazards of treating colonies larger than 10 square feet, they should be avoided.

Buying a respiratory mask will temporarily protect your respiratory system as you try to fix the problem. But to remediate the area, you also need to seal the room that’s being worked in. As you clean the colony, spores will travel into adjoining rooms, stick to furnishings and repopulate in moist spaces. Hidden mold, which grows behind wallpapers, ceiling tiles and dry wall, may burst if you attempt to pry the area open, spreading spores even more effectively. To solve the problem, you need to clean the growth with the right chemicals, prevent spores from spreading and suppress the underlying water source from attracting new fungi. Because of the time-sensitivity of this process and the expertise it demands, it’s best to leave the job to the professionals.

Bio-One Raleigh can remove mold from your home permanently. We are mold certified technicians who will isolate the source of the growth, decontaminate the area, and remove and reconstruct surfaces that have been affected. Our services are remarkably quick, and they are efficient. Once our team is notified of the job, we’ll usually complete the work within a 24-hour window. Give us a call at 919.800.9435. Our phone lines are open 24/7/365. We’re happy to help.

No shame, guilt, or sadness is necessary while living with a hoarding disorder. Research has shown that hoarding disorder affects between 2 and 5 percent of the US population. Before the topic of hoarding help comes up, the individual must understand that there is no judgment or criticism involved in the matter. Helpers understand and accept that the person dealing with this issue may already be embarrassed, and that addressing the situation is painful for those with the disorder.

According to the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD), there are five levels of hoarding that are outlined by the NSGCD Clutter-Hoarding Scale. Before getting help, whether it be clearing the clutter or psychological help, it is best to understand the levels of hoarding

Level I- A normal or standard house with accessible doors and stairways, minor evidence of pet accidents, a slight presence of insects or rodents, some clutter but not excessive, and normal safe sanitation with no odors.

Level II- One of the exits is blocked, and one major appliance, heater or air conditioner has not worked for more than six months; there is pet odor and pet waste, moderate evidence of insects and rodents. The use of more than 2 of the rooms is prevented by clutter. There is little moderate amounts of mildew in kitchens and bathrooms and food preparation surfaces are soiled, garbage cans overflowing, and there are noticeable odors.

Level III- Only one bedroom or bathroom is usable. Dust, spoiled food, and strong odors exist in the home. There may be an excessive amount of pets and visible clutter visible from outside of the home

Level IV- The house has structural damage, mold and mildew, damaged walls, electrical hazards and a backed-up sewer system. The occupants are unable to use the bedrooms, and are sleeping on the couch or floor. There is evidence of flea infestation, rotting food, lice, and pet damage to the house.

Level V- At this level, the house is basically unlivable. Obvious rodent and insect infestations are present, the bathroom and kitchen are unusable.The electrical and water services may not be functional. Many areas of the house are non-accessible due to clutter.

Clutter vs Hoarding

Helping a person who has a cluttered house is a matter of assisting in organizing and sorting into keep, donate and throwaway. Often times, a cleaning company or professional organizer assist in these situations. On the other hand, hoarders have a disorder that causes them to create an environment which negatively impacts their quality of life, as well as their health.

Bio-One Raleigh and Raleigh Hoarding can help

Once you reach out to a company like Bio-One Raleigh and Raleigh Hoarding, our team will work closely with the homeowner and family to determine what gets thrown away, and what gets kept and organized. The belongings will be sorted through and either kept by the owner, shared with family, given to charity or thrown away. This is a very inclusive process and nothing happens until the client agrees.

Please call Bio-One Raleigh and Raleigh Hoarding today. We will schedule a walk-through of the property and provide a free, written, no obligation estimate. Let us work with you and your family members to reclaim your home.

Bio-One Raleigh and Raleigh Hoarding are owned by Karen & Rick Jacobs. We offer trauma, mold and hoarding cleanup services including biohazard, blood cleanup, suicide/homicide, feces & bodily fluid, animal waste, undiscovered death, and mold testing & remediation.

We proudly serve North Carolina’s Triangle including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, Pittsboro, Holly Springs, Clayton, Carrboro, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Hillsborough, Mebane, Morrisville, Wake Forest, and Wendell; as well as the following counties; Wake County, Durham County, Cumberland County, Guilford County, Orange County, Chatham County, Harnett County, Johnston County, Nash County, Franklin County and Pill County.

MRSA—WHAT IS IT, HOW TO AVOID BEING CONTAMINATED.

A recent outbreak of MRSA at University of Pittsburgh’s Medical Center Children’s Hospital had people talking about the infection’s scariest attribute: It’s resistance to antibiotics. This tenacious staph infection affected 12 people in the intensive care unit—six of them babies—raising concerns about the bacteria’s contagiousness and apparent invulnerability. Fortunately, the disease can be treated, though it may be difficult to do depending on the location of the infection on the patient’s body. Here, we’ll break down what MRSA is, the symptoms you should be looking out for, and how to prevent it.

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is a highly contagious staph bacteria that infects the skin and resists numerous antibiotics—including methicillin, which once successfully treated staph infections. In the past, doctors over-prescribed penicillin-related antibiotics like methicillin, allowing the bacteria to develop a heightened tolerance for them. Now treatment typically involves drainage of the infected area, culture testing of pus from the wound and stronger antibiotics. Though the infection is relatively uncommon—94,000 Americans are affected each year, and 19,000 die—two out of 100 people carry MRSA, according to the CDC. The bacteria do not usually cause a serious infection in carriers, but it can develop in others if it enters their bloodstream.

Symptoms arise when a red, swollen abscess appears on the body. It tends to look volcanic, with a white bump appearing between an area of reddened skin. Touching it will cause pain, but if you suspect you have the infection, gently feel the abscess to check if its emanating heat. If it is, you’re likely affected by a bacterial strain of some kind, and should seek a doctor for consultation. Pus and other drainage will likely ooze out of the affected area, and you’re likely to develop a fever. Although these symptoms are associated with MRSA, recognizing them on your body does not necessarily mean you have developed this specific infection. Only a doctor can make that distinction. While you don’t need to make a trip to the emergency room, you’ll want to make an appointment quickly. If left to fester, MRSA will infect the matter beneath the wound, which can result in a life-threatening situation. You will need to cover the abscess immediately, however. The bacteria will spread to every surface is touches, raising the chances that you will infect someone else.

Though MRSA is highly contagious, prevention is relatively easy. Washing your hands thoroughly—especially after hospital visits—will deter the infection almost entirely. Make sure you scrub them for 15 seconds and you use soap. Hand disinfectr brands with an alcohol content of at least 60 percent will also help you kill the bacteria. Of course, you’ll also need to cover up open wounds. A clean bandage will do, but make sure you change them regularly. While these instructions seem obvious, it is critical that you follow them because of how effective MRSA is at sticking to surfaces for lengthy periods of time. Depending on the type of material, the bacteria will remain for several days, weeks and even months. Washing your hands and covering your wounds will do much to quell the spread of the infection. You should also avoid sharing personal items like towels, razors, clothing and cosmetics. Because MRSA abscesses will spread germs to any item it touches, the bacteria will enter your bloodstream through open wounds and orifices if you are not careful.

Bio-One Raleigh is happy to answer any questions you have about preventing the spread of MRSA. Our technicians are trained to treat and decontaminate the infected area ensuring your family remains safe. Our phone lines are open 24/7/365.