If a breast-feeding infant experiences an adverse effect related to a maternally administered drug, health care providers are encouraged to report the adverse effect to the FDA. On rare occasions, we add Polysporin or Neosporin ophthalmic ointment at bedtime. These are available on prescription or to buy from pharmacies. Serious eye infections may result from exposure to bacteria during passage through the birth canal—which is why all infants are treated with antibiotic eye ointment or drops in the delivery room. Researchers applied an ointment called mupirocin to infants at several hospitals. ECZEMA ESSENTIALS® 1% Hydrocortisone Anti-Itch Cream Your Infant Patients vs. Recommended Brand Check for Expiration Date Using NEOSPORIN® Products past their expiration date is unsafe, risky, and does not guarantee … Get it as soon as Wed, Feb 24. Around 10 percent of those children will die.Staph infections are also becoming increasingly resistant to the drugs used to treat them, especially an antibiotic called methicillin.Infection control is essentialAccording to Creech, there have been staph infections throughout human history.The bacteria colonizes about a third of all humans at any given time.“Over the course of many weeks or months, 80 percent of us will have staph in our nose or our skin; so there’s really nothing to prevent colonization in babies or adults whose immune systems are compromised or who have had recent surgery,” Creech said.Arrieta said there is one sure way to minimize the risk of infection.“The best way to prevent SA in newborns in the hospital is careful hand washing before and after all contact with the babies,” he said.The bottom lineNewborns are especially vulnerable to infection by a type of germ called Staphylococcus aureus.Staph is a bacterium that is present in most people’s noses and skin. Some even recommend generous amounts of petroleum jelly (Vasoline) or antibiotic ointment (Bacitracin, Neosporin). Infants with a plastic ring device (Plastibell) in place probably do not benefit from ointment to the site until the ring comes off. These are on prescription only. Pull down slightly and gently on the skin below the eye, just above the cheekbone. Triple Antibiotic Ointment™ First Aid to Help Prevent Infection In Minor Cuts, Scrapes, and Burns 25 Packets Each Packet Net.Wt.0.9gm Parental quality of life: Caring for an infant or toddler with a tracheostomy at home. Ilotycin is an antibiotic ointment is routinely put in the eyes of all newborns to prevent neonatal conjunctivitis (pink eye). Antibiotic Ointment May Reduce Staph Infections for Newborn Infants. It contains three antibiotics: neomycin, polymyxin B, and bacitracin. In neonates, the extracellular fluid (ECF) constitutes up to 45% of total body weight, requiring relatively larger doses of certain antibiotics (eg, aminoglycosides) compared with adults. Along with fever, toxic shock syndrome can cause mental confusion, muscle ache, stomach pain, and vomiting.Infants are vulnerableHospital personnel may often unknowingly carry staph bacteria, which can be easily transmitted to an infant if employees don’t follow proper hygiene rules.This can happen during medical procedures or by contaminated medical equipment such as catheters or ventilators.When the bacteria enter a newborn’s bloodstream or airway, the baby can become seriously ill.Common symptoms of staph infection in babies include:   -high or low body temperature   -unusually fast or slow heartbeat   -lethargy and irritability   -vomiting   -skin lesions. Antibiotic ointment is typically applied to the newborn's eyes within 1 hour of birth as prevention against gonococcal ophthalmia. Newborns are vulnerable to all types of infections, and some are life-threatening.Researchers now say they may have come up with a simple solution that can significantly reduce the risk.Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health conducted a clinical trial involving several hospitals.The study tested how using a topical antibiotic ointment could prevent babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) from developing Staphylococcus (staph) bacteria infections.A topical antibiotic called mupirocin was applied to the nasal passages and skin of these babies for five days.Afterward, 90 percent of the treated newborns tested negative for the bacteria, suggesting the ointment may be an effective way to prevent infection by removing the germ that causes it.This treatment reduced exposure to staph bacteria that are easily treated by commonly used antibiotics as well as those that aren’t easily treated.“Because there’s such a problem with staph infections in babies, it’s important to understand how to prevent and treat them,” said C. Buddy Creech, MD, MPH, an author of the study and a spokesperson for the Infectious Disease Society of America.What is a staph infection?Staphylococcus (staph) bacteria are a type of bacteria typically found in the nose and on the skin.Most of the time, the bacteria present no problems or just cause minor infections.But staph infections can cause serious health issues if the bacteria travel deeper into the bloodstream, bones, or major organs.“Infection can vary from simple skin infections to serious life-threatening blood, bone-joint, or heart infections,” said Dr. Antonio Arrieta, a clinical professor in the University of California-Irvine department of pediatrics and division chief of infectious diseases at Children’s Hospital of Orange County in California.Toxic shock syndrome is another life-threatening condition that can result from poisons produced by some strains of these bacteria.