A community event held in Ireland in autumn 2025 led to an MRSA outbreak among children playing in three inflatable play parks. Following the event, which was attended by approximately 120 people, 48 children developed aggressive skin and soft tissue infections. Of these, 33 were treated by general practitioners and 15 in emergency departments; four children were hospitalized. All the children recovered. The outbreak was reported in a review published in the journal Eurosurveillance.
Health authorities were alerted after MRSA was detected in a 12-year-old child who was hospitalized with a skin infection nine days after the event. Genomic analysis showed that the outbreak was caused by the rare and hypervirulent t016-ST22-MRSA-IV strain. This strain produced Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL) toxin, which can destroy immune cells and trigger inflammation. Symptoms began within four days in most of the children and within hours in some. Symptoms included spots, pus-filled blisters, blisters and abscesses; the infections were seen mostly on the legs, particularly the thighs. Twelve children developed systemic symptoms such as fever, nausea or vomiting.
The strain was resistant to at least four drugs, including flucloxacillin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and trimethoprim, but was susceptible to clindamycin, tetracycline, fusidic acid, co-trimoxazole and linezolid. Of the 48 infected children, 47 had played on inflatable structures, while the other child had been in close contact with someone who had been exposed. It was determined that the children playing in crowded conditions and with vigorous physical contact for hours, abrasions on the skin, and the hot, humid and rainy weather had facilitated the spread. Officials identified it as the largest MRSA outbreak in Ireland and the first outbreak linked to inflatable play parks. The structures were not tested; their owners were advised to carry out thorough disinfection. The infected children received antibiotics, and the children and their families followed a five-day protocol involving antiseptic washes and nasal ointment. The outbreak ended 40 days after no new cases were reported.
Why it matters
The outbreak shows that children at mass events need to be monitored not only for respiratory illnesses but also for contact that compromises skin integrity and for shared equipment. The fact that a rare, highly virulent strain resistant to multiple antibiotics affected many people in a short period highlights the importance of evaluating contacts when a diagnosis cannot be made and of early public health intervention. The findings are relevant to families, event organizers and healthcare workers in terms of cleaning, protecting skin wounds and promptly reporting signs of infection. However, the absence of microbiological testing at the play structures leaves open the question of whether transmission occurred via surfaces or through close contact between the children. Therefore, the results point to the need for more comprehensive investigation at similar events without being generalized to all inflatable play parks.