Even though my children are older, I still carry a small first aid kit in my purse. Bandages, wipes and a few other items that have come in handy over the years. As I hear more and more about MRSA, I’m happy to find a new product called SAFESKIN. It’s a new first aid topical antibacterial gel that provides a barrier to MRSA. Every mom wants to protect her children against infection, so not SAFESKIN is the answer for minor cuts, wounds, scrapes and burns. At a price of $3.99, it’s definitely worth the price.
SAFESKIN* Kids Antibacterial Gel from Kimberly-Clark Professional is a new first aid topical antibacterial gel that provides a barrier to MRSA, highly contagious staph bacteria that can infect skin, invade other parts of the body and is resistant to many antibiotics. SAFESKIN* Kids Antibacterial Gel offers a long-lastingǂ protective barrier on minor cuts, scrapes, wounds and burns – up to 48 hours – if the bandaged wound stays clean and dry.
SAFESKIN* Kids Antibacterial Gel Product Benefits:
- Use for topical wound care for minor cuts, scrapes and burns
- Provides barrier to MRSA
- Antibacterial gel that is antibiotic free
- Long lastingǂ up to 48 hours – if the bandaged wound stays clean and dry
- Non-greasy formula helps bandages to stay in place better
- Fragrance and alcohol free, non-staining patented formulation
- Made in United States
Why Children & Teens Are at Risk for MRSA
Caring for the minor cuts, scrapes, wounds, burns and bug bites that children sustain from being active is often a routine task for parents, teachers and coaches. While cuts and scrapes may happen frequently, it’s critical that they receive prompt and correct attention as they are potential entryways for infection. Using SAFESKIN* Kids Antibacterial Gel when caring for a wound when it happens will help protect your children from dangerous staph infections like MRSA.
MSRA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is one of many strains of a bacterium called staph (Staphylococcus aureus) and is resistant to some of the antibiotics typically used to treat skin and soft tissue infections including methicillin and other penicillin type antibiotics such as amoxicillin and the cephalosporins.1MRSA is highly prevalent in places where children come in close contact with one another like day care centers, playgrounds, locker rooms, classrooms, gymnasiums and sports facilities. Toddlers, children and teens are likely to experience skin-to-skin contact in these places and may share equipment that has not been properly cleaned. Staph infections like MRSA also spread via skin-to-skin contact when playing sports, like wrestling, football, baseball or lacrosse, or from surfaces in gyms and locker rooms like showers, benches and countertops.
Skin Infection Statistics & Children
- Rates of Community-Associated MRSA (CA-MRSA), a staph skin infection that affects people in the community, have rapidly increased during the past decade2
- According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, skin diseases accounted for 56 percent of all infectious diseases in competitive sports from 1922 through 20053
- With more than 38 million children and teens participating in youth sports activities, it’s critical that parents, coaches and teachers practice proper wound care.4
- In 2009, 71,900 children were hospitalized because of infections under the skin5
- Centers for Disease Control estimates there are approximately 10,800 deaths in the United States each year caused by staph infections, of which 5,500 are linked to MRSA6
- Skin and soft tissue infections represented 69.9 hospitalizations per 100,000 U.S. children per year from 1996-2006; the rate of CA-MRSA skin and soft tissue infections increased over this period from one in every 100,000 cases in 1996 to 25.5 cases per 100,000 cases in 20067
How to Use SAFESKIN* Kids Antibacterial Gel:
SAFESKIN* Kids Antibacterial Gel is easy to use and should be applied with adult supervision. Always wash your hands or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers before cleaning or dressing a wound. Remove any dirt or debris from the wound if necessary. Wash the wound with lukewarm water and mild soap then blot the injured area dry with a clean towel. Apply SAFESKIN* Kids Antibacterial Gel to the wound and surrounding area. Cover with bandage and repeat every one to three days, sooner if the bandage becomes wet or soiled. A product like the SAFESKIN* Kids SPORT WRAP can help hold a bandage in place. Change the dressing every day.
SAFESKIN* Kids Antibacterial Gel is currently available at select Walmart locations with a suggested retail price of $3.99.
1 American Academy of Pediatrics, Information for Schools/Parents/Students on Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA),http://www2.aap.org/NEW/MRSA.HTM (Accessed June 20, 2012)
2 Centers for Disease control, MRSA Statistics,http://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/statistics/index.html (Updated April 8, 2011) (Accessed June 20, 2012)
3 National Athletic Trainers’ Association, Skin Disease in Athletics Fact Sheet,http://www.nata.org/sites/default/files/Skin-Disease-Fact-Sheet.pdf (Accessed June 20, 2012)
4 Center for Disease Control, Nonfatal Traumatic Brain Injuries from Sports and Recreation Activities — United States, 2001—2005,http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5629a2.htm (Updated July 27, 2007) [Accessed Feb. 9, 2012)
5 Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, H-CUP, Statistical Brief #118, Hospital Stays for Children, 2009 http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb118.pdf(Updated August 2011) (Accessed June 20, 2012)
6 Centers for Disease Control, “Hospitalizations and Deaths Caused by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus United States, 1999-2005,” Emerging Infectious Diseases, E. Klein, Dec. 2007 http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/13/12/pdfs/07-0629.pdf(Accessed June 20, 2012)
7 NCBI, PubMed.gov, Emergence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections as a common cause of hospitalization in United States children., J Pediatr Surg. 2010 Oct;45(10):1967-74. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20920714 (Accessed June 20, 2012)
*SAFESKIN Kids Antibacterial Gel is a trademark of Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. or its affiliates. ©2011 KCWW
ǂUp to 48-hour antibacterial protection
BSM Media is conducting a blog tour for SAFESKIN.
