We may be mere mortals, but humans are certainly not powerless in the fight against the infamous 'Super Bug.'

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is resistant to certain common antibiotics, such as penicillin and amoxicillin, but it's also preventable and treatable-several antibiotics can still be used to treat most staph infections, including MRSA.

How can you prevent staph or MRSA skin infections? Clean up your act by practicing good hygiene habits:

• Keep hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water.
• Keep cuts and abrasions clean and covered with a proper dressing (e.g., bandage) until healed.
• Avoid contact with other people's wounds or material contaminated from wounds.

MRSA and other staph infections traditionally spread more easily in hospitals or other health care facilities, where there are a lot of people with weakened immune systems. MRSA infections that occur in otherwise healthy people usually show up as skin infections, such as abscesses, boils, and other pus-filled lesions.

MRSA made headlines recently for popping up in popular places. The exact number of MRSA cases in Clark County is not known, but there have been at least seven confirmed cases among children and adults in Vancouver schools.

An estimated 90,000 people in the United States get sick each year from MRSA. It's a nasty little bug to be certain, but you can get rid of this pest with good hygiene. Kill a germ…wash your hands!