The GlitterBug Handwash Show could be stopping by your child's classroom soon.

The technology, by Salt Lake City-based Brevis Corp., uses an ultraviolet light to show kids where germs congregate on their hands. It's part of the "Clean Hands are Cool Hands" campaign being launched by the Hospital Corporation of America, parent company of six Utah hospitals, including Orem's Timpanogos Regional and Payson's Mountain View. The message aims to combat the rising tide of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a potentially fatal infection that spreads through interpersonal contact, said Kimball Anderson, chief operating officer for HCA's Utah County Network.

"We're trying to get information out to as many people -- particularly kids -- as we can to inform them about the critical need for good sanitation," he said. "The biggest thing we can do is just practice good hygiene. Wash your hands."

It was once thought that Staph infections were unique to health care facilities, but data increasingly suggests it abounds outside hospital walls, said Dr. Ron Barlow, chief vice of staff and an emergency room physician at Timpanogos. It's more of a concern than ever among schoolchildren, especially during the winter months when they spend all day cooped up together indoors, he said.

"Kids are messy little things, aren't they?" he said. "They're sharing all sorts of bodily fluids."

In a 2007 American Medical Association study, 13.7 percent of infections were determined to be community-associated. Seniors over 65 were hit hardest, with an estimated 127.7 infections and 35.3 deaths per 100,000 people, while youth between 5 and 17 accounted for only 1.4 infections and 0.1 deaths per 100,000. But Barlow said by teaching kids early, they can "carry knowledge forward" and eventually incite improvement in other age groups.

"That's a population that needs to be targeted," he said. "Vigilance has to be constant. It has to be organization-wide."

Anderson met Monday with Nebo School District representatives to discuss classroom visits, which the district hopes will begin within the next month. Spokeswoman Lana Hiskey said the district is aware of the problem and has been teaching the need for clean hands as part of the regular curriculum, but looks forward to partnering with HCA to reinforce the message to its students.

"We think it's a very valuable lesson for kids," she said. "If we can keep clean hands, then hopefully [there will be] less sickness in the schools. Less sick is higher attendance, and higher attendance is more success for students."

In an attempt to reach elementary school students on their own level, HCA has also brought on Mitchel Musso, co-star of Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana." Musso stars in campaign materials and on the interactive Web site at cleanhandsarecoolhands.com.

• Ace Stryker can be reached at 344-2556 or astryker@heraldextra.com.