Contagious skin disease

Hygiene can harm

Detlev Ganten, one of the most influential German physicians, says: "Our immune system (is) set up for a dirty world, (...) constantly dealing with bacteria, fungi, viruses and dirt". That's why I like to eat fruit eaten by animals, for example. Massive diarrheal diseases often occur at rainbow gatherings. I recommend taking that risk. If such an illness catches me, it must be so, it is a part of my long-term health. 

A contagious form of Staphylococcus

But there are also contagious diseases that we should protect ourselves and the people around us from. Here in southern Spain, for example, a contagious form of Staphylococcus is spreading sometimes. It starts with skin wounds that don't heal but grow bigger and open. If you notice such wounds on you, I ask you to clarify with a doctor whether it is a contagious disease - and if so, please do not come to one of my events, but stay in quarantine until the wounds have healed! Because this disease is very contagious and difficult to cure for many people. Antibiotics are often used, sometimes surgery, and in rare cases death. On the Internet you can usually only find information about staphylococci in general.  The fact that there are also highly contagious forms that also affect healthy people is mentioned only briefly, for example at:
About Staphylococci in German
About Staphylococci in Spanish

Antibiotics only in emergencies

If the doctor then diagnoses staphylococci as the cause, he will probably prescribe you antibiotic salve or antibiotic medication. However, we should only use these drugs in emergencies, and it can happen that they do not work at all against these staphylococci, because staphylococci are quite flexible bacteria and often resistant to common antibiotics. When I noticed the disease at the end of August 2015, I already had quite a few infected wounds because I didn't know this disease...

Example: Walkabout in Aug 2015 and the consequences

24 Aug: Jean Claude, Enzo (name changed) and I start a Walkabout from my home into the mountains of Nerja. We wonder about the numerous wounds on the skin of Enzo.
25 Aug: Enzo feels too weak to continue, sleeps another night in the mountains and walks back to my land.
27 Aug: Jean Claude and I finish the Walkabout
End Aug: Jean Claude and I notice numerous sores on our skin that won't heal. Jean Claude goes to the doctor. He diagnoses a contagious form of staphylococcus and prescribes an antibiotic pill. Jean Claude does not like it and tries several alternative ways, for example MMS. We go into voluntary quarantine (more or less...).
Mid Sept: More and more neighbours (with whom we are in close contact) get sores on their skin that won't heal. One Spaniard claims to be immune, and in fact he does not get the disease. Jean Claude notices that MMS and the other alternative ways don't help him, his wounds become bigger, more, and they cause heavy pain. Finally he goes to the farmacy, and takes the antibiotic pill. It helps well: after 2 days the wounds are dry, after one week he got rid of the disease.
Nov 2015: The disease gradually subsides. Some of us overcome it with antibiotics, others with creams. Enzo suffers longer; he is operated on in a hospital in France because the bacterium has spread to a bone. People from the hippie village "Beneficio" (close to Órgiva) told me that there have already been several outbreaks of this disease there.

Routes of disease infection

1. Flies touch infected wounds and subsequently uninfected wounds
2. Body contact, especially via hands
3. Infection via touched objects, e.g. door handles
4. According to people at the Beneficio, flies transfer the bacteria from composting toilets to humans when the faeces are not covered properly.

Hygiene in contagious staphylococci

I managed to heal it without using antibiotics with the following measures. They cannot replace a visit to the doctor, only supplement them:
1. I put neem oil on the open wounds daily.
2. I cut small irrigation hoses lengthwise and attached them to the wounds, allowing air to get to the wounds but no flies. The hoses must protrude about 3cm beyond the wound so that the flies cannot get to the wounds.
3. Avoid any touching of the wounds. 
4. Wash hands with soap often.
5. I suspect that fasting could also help (I didn't do it at the time).
6. Despite these hygiene measures, avoid physical contact with other people because the disease is really very contagious.

I have healed with these measures and without antibiotics after having several open wounds. If you do the same, and if possible a little earlier, you will certainly have a good chance of getting away without antibiotics. Of course, it varies from person to person.