Staph in Kids: Daycare, School and Sports

Why staph spreads among kids

Staph is a common bacterium. About 30% of people carry it in their nose, usually with no harm.¹ Children pick it up the same way adults do: through skin-to-skin contact and by touching surfaces other people have touched.² Many kids who carry staph never get sick, but they can still pass it on.²

To cause an infection, staph needs a way in. A cut, a scrape, a patch of eczema or a new piercing can all give it one.² Kids collect scrapes on the playground almost every day, so it pays to know the signs.

Common staph infections in children

Most staph infections in kids show up on the skin:³

• Impetigo: starts as a blister or pimple and forms a honey-colored crust, often on the face, hands or feet. It’s most common in young children.
• Boils: swollen, red, painful lumps filled with pus. They start in hair follicles and often appear on the face, neck, armpits, buttocks or inner thighs.
• Cellulitis: redness, pain, swelling and warmth, often on the legs, that spreads. Kids may feel feverish and unwell.
• Folliculitis: small white-headed pimples at the base of hairs.
• Styes: red bumps on the eyelid.

MRSA, a type of staph that resists some common antibiotics, is one of the leading causes of skin infections in the U.S. It can look like a boil, a pimple or a spider bite.² You can learn more in our guide to impetigo.

Daycare and school: can my child go?

Usually, yes. The CDC says most students with MRSA infections can attend school unless a healthcare provider tells them not to.⁴ The key is keeping the infection covered. Pediatricians say children can go as long as the wound can be bandaged, the drainage stays contained and good hygiene is followed.²

A child should stay home if a wound drains pus that can’t be covered, or if they can’t keep up good hygiene.⁴ Your pediatrician can tell you when it’s safe to go back.

Schools don’t need to close or do special deep cleaning when a student has MRSA. Routine cleaning is enough in most cases, and a school usually doesn’t need to alert every family about a single infection.⁴

What schools and daycares should do is keep up the basics. The CDC asks staff to reinforce handwashing before eating, after using the bathroom, and after touching an infected wound or a used bandage.⁴ School nurses should let parents know when they spot a possible skin infection, and several infections in one school should be reported to the local health department.⁴ If you get a call from the school nurse, that’s the system working as it should.

Sports and team gear

Staph spreads most in sports with lots of skin contact, like wrestling, football and rugby, but it also turns up in soccer, basketball, volleyball, martial arts, baseball and more.⁵ The CDC’s advice for athletes:⁵

• Shower soon after practice and games, and don’t share soap or other bathing supplies.
• Don’t share towels, washcloths, razors, uniforms or ointments from open containers.
• Wash uniforms and towels after each use, and dry them in a dryer.
• Cover cuts with clean, dry bandages until they heal.
• Tell a coach, trainer or doctor about any skin problem right away.

Kids with an active infection should stay out of swimming pools, whirlpools and contact sports until it heals.² For more, see our guide to MRSA in team sports.

Everyday habits that help

• Teach kids to wash their hands well, especially before eating and after using the bathroom.⁴
• Keep up daily baths or showers.³
• Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered.³
• Don’t let kids share towels, razors or clothing.²
• Clean toys and shared surfaces regularly.²
• Remind kids not to pick at scabs or pop sores.⁵

For kids who play sports, pack a small kit in the gear bag: their own towel, their own soap, a few clean bandages and a bag for sweaty clothes. When everything they need is already theirs, there’s less reason to borrow.

When to see a doctor

Call your pediatrician if you see:

• A red, swollen, warm or painful bump, or one with pus²
• Any of those signs along with a fever²
• Redness that is spreading, or a spot that is getting worse, hotter or more painful³
• A skin infection that passes to other people in the family³
• A stye that doesn’t go away after a few days³

Get urgent care or call 911 if your child has a fever with fast-spreading redness, seems confused or very sleepy, or has trouble breathing. Don’t squeeze or pop a bump, and don’t treat it with home remedies. A doctor can check it and decide whether treatment is needed. Pediatricians note that MRSA skin infections respond well to early treatment, and some small abscesses need neither draining nor antibiotics.²