Staph Infection Sparks Precautions At NHS

By Nancy K. Crevier

Newtown High School Interim Principal Jay Smith confirmed Wednesday afternoon that all parents of high school students had been mailed a letter advising them that one case of the highly antibiotic-resistant staph infection, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, has been reported at the school this fall.

The student, a member of the NHS football team, has returned to school, he said.

This is not the first time that an NHS student has had a drug-resistant staph infection, said Mr Smith, noting that one was reported last year, as well. “It is not uncommon in schools and communities,” he said.

The MRSA strain, which does not respond to penicillin and related antibiotics, has spread through schools across the country the past few weeks, and was responsible for the death of a high school student in Virginia earlier this week.

About 900 cases are reported to the state Department of Public Health each year and hundreds of others never become serious enough to require reporting, said Dr. James Hadler, the department’s chief epidemiologist.

“My guess is that every school has at least several of them per year and maybe more,” Hadler said. “We know that there are thousands of MRSA infections out there per year.”

Local parents became alarmed, said Mr Smith, when NHS coaches asked all members of the freshman, junior varsity, and varsity football teams to bring all items from their athletic lockers home for washing.

“We just wanted to make sure everything was cleaned,” explained Mr Smith. “Athletes sometimes like to get a thing going to see who can go the longest without washing their practice clothes. That would have been the end of this, except for the national news reports that coincided with this request.”

In response to concern expressed by parents, Mr Smith discussed the situation with Dr Ana Paula Machado, the co-medical advisor for the Newtown Public Schools. Dr Machado conferred with the State Health Department Nurse Supervisor Dee Capole, and Superintendent of Schools Thomas Jokubaitis, and it was decided that an informational letter should be sent to all parents.

“There is no cause for alarm or concern,” said Mr Smith. “But with the national anxiety developing around [staph infections in schools], we decided to be proactive.”

According to information in a copy of the letter faxed to The Newtown Bee, “MRSA is most frequently spread by direct skin to skin contact or with direct contact to wound drainage of someone who is carrying or infected with the bacteria.”

The school is requesting that extra attention by paid to personal hygiene, including keeping all sports equipment clean and not sharing personal items.

Any sore or infection that does not heal should be reported to a physician for evaluation and to the school nurse at 426-7649.

According to the latest Journal of the American Medical Association, the estimated number of people developing a serious MRSA infection (i.e., invasive) in 2005 was about 94,360; this is higher than estimates using other methods.

And approximately 18,650 persons died during a hospital stay related to these serious MRSA infections. While most are mild skin infections, those that get into the bloodstream can become deadly.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at cdc.gov advises that staph bacteria, including MRSA, can appear as a skin infection such as a pimple or boil. The irritation may be red, swollen and painful, with pus or other drainage. More serious infections may cause pneumonia or bloodstream infections.

While most cases of antibiotic-resistant staph infections occur in hospitals or health care settings, gyms and lockers can also harbor the bacteria.

The CDC suggests these precautions to avoid staph infections:

*Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water.

*Cover cuts and abrasions with a bandage until healed.

*Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or material contaminated by wounds.

*Do not share personal care items, razors, towels, washcloths, clothing, or uniforms.

*Shower with soap after each practice or game.

*Wipe down surfaces of sports equipment before and after use.

*See a physician if you think you have a staph infection.

It is the hope of the Newtown High School administration that the letter will ease concerns parents or students may have about the MRSA scare, said Mr Smith, reiterating that the letter was a precautionary action on the part of the school.

(This story includes reporting by the Associated Press.)