Covered wounds: dressings, drainage and safe wound care

Any break in the skin — a cut, graze, insect bite, surgical incision, drained boil or IV site — is both an exit route for MRSA already on the skin and an entry route for MRSA picked up from elsewhere.

Covering the wound does two things at once: it contains infectious drainage and it stops the wound being seeded. This is why 'keep it covered until fully healed' appears in every prevention guideline.

Draining pus is a medical procedure, not a home one. Squeezing or lancing a boil pushes bacteria deeper and spreads it across the skin and onto hands.

• Clean hands, apply a clean dry dressing that fully covers the wound edges, and change it whenever it becomes wet, soiled or loose.
• Dispose of old dressings straight into a sealed bag, then wash hands again before touching anything else.
• Never share dressings, ointments from a shared tub, or an unwashed reusable ice pack.
• Do not squeeze, pick or lance a boil or abscess — get it drained properly.
• Cover wounds before contact sport, and pull the athlete out of contact play if a wound cannot be securely covered.
• Watch for spreading redness, increasing pain, fever or a red streak, and seek same-day care if they appear.

Community MRSA outbreaks in teams, gyms, prisons and households have repeatedly been traced to uncovered or poorly covered skin lesions combined with skin-to-skin contact and shared equipment.

For most MRSA skin abscesses, incision and drainage is the definitive treatment; guideline reviews show antibiotics add benefit but do not replace drainage.

• Leaving a healing wound uncovered because 'air helps it heal' — it also releases MRSA into the environment.
• Re-using a dressing or taping over a soaked one.
• Treating a rapidly spreading red area at home rather than getting it assessed.