staph infections
Staph (pronounced "staff") is medical quick speak for staphylococcus aureus bacteria. This pesky little bacterium is very common, but when it enters the human body, usually through an open cut or break in the skin, it can cause infection and trouble.
Staph symptoms include redness, warmth, swelling, tenderness of the skin, boils or blisters and lots and lots of pus.
Staph can be transmitted from skin to skin contact, or from shared objects and surfaces like razors etc. In other words, anything that could have touched the skin of a staph-infected person can carry the bacteria to the skin of another person.
Early treatment can help prevent a staph infection from getting worse. Most staph infections are minor and are treated without antibiotics, but for more serious infections, you’ll be given antibiotics. Be sure to complete the full course. Some drug-resistant strains are much harder to treat and usually require IV antibiotics. You can be infected over and over again, even after you’ve been treated.
