How do the Staph bacteria spread?
The Staph bacteria spreads from one person to another, usually by direct contact: a child scratching or wiping his nose and then touching another child, for example, or teen-agers playing football or wrestling. The Staph bacteria can also be spread by contact with surfaces or items that a person with Staph infection has touched, such as towels, pillows, athletic equipment or shaving razors. What do Staph infections look like? Staph is one of the most common causes of skin infections. Staph skin infections are more likely to occur when there are breaks in the skin that allow the bacteria to enter, such as rubbed skin around the nose from a cold or scraped knees or elbows. Staph skin infections include: • Impetigo. A patch of skin is reddish and covered with yellow, honey-like oozing or crustiness. • Cellulitis. A patch of skin is red, hot, swollen and tender. • Boils and abscesses. These start looking like a spider bite or a reddish-purple pimple. They grow larger with yellow pus in the
