Bouncy castles linked to Ireland's biggest MRSA outbreak
Playing on bouncy castles has been linked to the largest ever recorded outbreak of a common superbug in Ireland last year.
A bouncy castle brought a dangerous MRSA outbreak to a community in Ireland in fall 2025. The inflatable play structure, meant to provide joy and entertainment, instead turned deadly. On a sunny afternoon, neighbors gathered for a barbecue and festivities, with three bouncy castles drawing in around 120 attendees, mostly children and teenagers.
Within just a day, signs of aggressive skin and soft-tissue infections began appearing among the youngsters. Ultimately, 48 children fell ill, with 33 treated by their regular physician and 15 requiring emergency care. Four children were hospitalized, but fortunately, all made a full recovery. The findings of this distressing outbreak were recently published in the journal Eurosurveillance.
Written by urgent.news from Ars Technica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
