Hi, and thank you for your question

Staphylococcus aureus (staph) is a common bacteria that many people have on their skin or in their nose. Up to 25% of people will have the bacteria and for most people it does not cause any symptoms or concerns.

In certain situations people can develop staph infections of the skin or the respiratory tract for example sinus infections. A common way that people can get skin staph infections is if the skin gets broken and the bacteria on the skin gets into the wound. Cleaning any new wounds and washing your hands before and after touching a wound will help prevent staph infections. Staph infections can be treated with antibiotics.

We don’t consider staphylococcus aureus to be a sexually transmitted infection but at the same time it is something that is passed through skin to skin contact. Hand washing is a good way to prevent staph infections passing to other parts of your body or to someone else.

Let us know if this does not answer your question or if you have any more questions or concerns.
Health Nurse