Post by title1parent on Sept 10, 2009 5:59:42 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1760879,6_1_NA10_DSMRSA_S1-090910.article
Three North students contract MRSA
September 10, 2009
From Staff Reports
Three students at Downers Grove North High School contracted MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.)
School District 99 received word from the DuPage County Health Department that the two North High School football players contracted the infection prior to the opening of school, according to a district release dated Sept. 3.
In addition, an incoming North High freshman is also reported to have MRSA, but had not yet been in attendance at school at the time of diagnosis.
All three students have received appropriate medical treatment and are now attending school, the district reported.
MRSA, a type of bacteria resistant to certain antibiotics, has been around since 1963 and for years was confined to hospitals. It began appearing in the general population during the late 1990s and can appear anywhere, because most people already carry the bacteria in their body.
According to the Centers for Disease Control Web site, most MRSA infections that turn up in the community show up as skin lesions that may appear as pustules or boils which often are red, swollen, painful or have pus or other drainage. These commonly occur at sites of visible skin trauma, such as cuts and abrasions, and on areas of the body covered by hair including the back of neck, groin, buttock, armpit and beard.
Almost all MRSA skin infections can be effectively treated by drainage of pus with or without antibiotics. More serious infections, such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, or bone infections, are very rare in healthy people who get MRSA skin infections.
MRSA is usually transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with contaminated items or surfaces such as towels.
Common areas where MRSA is easily spread include schools, dormitories, military barracks, households, correctional facilities and day care centers.
The best defense includes washing hands; showering after exercise; covering skin abrasions or cuts with a clean, dry bandage until healed; avoiding sharing personal items that come into contact with bare skin and using a barrier such as clothing or a towel between the skin and shared equipment such as weight-training benches; and maintaining a clean environment by establishing cleaning procedures for frequently touched surfaces and surfaces that come into direct contact with people's skin.
The CDC said, in most cases, it is not necessary to close schools because of a MRSA infection.
District 99 is working with the DuPage County Health Department to address the issue. The coaching staff has been reminding athletes about taking precautions, including proper hygiene. Custodial maintenance staff conducted a thorough cleaning and sanitizing of all locker room and athletic areas and other commonly used surfaces as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and the DuPage County Health Department.
Visit www.cdc.gov/Features/MRSainSchools/.
Three North students contract MRSA
September 10, 2009
From Staff Reports
Three students at Downers Grove North High School contracted MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.)
School District 99 received word from the DuPage County Health Department that the two North High School football players contracted the infection prior to the opening of school, according to a district release dated Sept. 3.
In addition, an incoming North High freshman is also reported to have MRSA, but had not yet been in attendance at school at the time of diagnosis.
All three students have received appropriate medical treatment and are now attending school, the district reported.
MRSA, a type of bacteria resistant to certain antibiotics, has been around since 1963 and for years was confined to hospitals. It began appearing in the general population during the late 1990s and can appear anywhere, because most people already carry the bacteria in their body.
According to the Centers for Disease Control Web site, most MRSA infections that turn up in the community show up as skin lesions that may appear as pustules or boils which often are red, swollen, painful or have pus or other drainage. These commonly occur at sites of visible skin trauma, such as cuts and abrasions, and on areas of the body covered by hair including the back of neck, groin, buttock, armpit and beard.
Almost all MRSA skin infections can be effectively treated by drainage of pus with or without antibiotics. More serious infections, such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, or bone infections, are very rare in healthy people who get MRSA skin infections.
MRSA is usually transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with contaminated items or surfaces such as towels.
Common areas where MRSA is easily spread include schools, dormitories, military barracks, households, correctional facilities and day care centers.
The best defense includes washing hands; showering after exercise; covering skin abrasions or cuts with a clean, dry bandage until healed; avoiding sharing personal items that come into contact with bare skin and using a barrier such as clothing or a towel between the skin and shared equipment such as weight-training benches; and maintaining a clean environment by establishing cleaning procedures for frequently touched surfaces and surfaces that come into direct contact with people's skin.
The CDC said, in most cases, it is not necessary to close schools because of a MRSA infection.
District 99 is working with the DuPage County Health Department to address the issue. The coaching staff has been reminding athletes about taking precautions, including proper hygiene. Custodial maintenance staff conducted a thorough cleaning and sanitizing of all locker room and athletic areas and other commonly used surfaces as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and the DuPage County Health Department.
Visit www.cdc.gov/Features/MRSainSchools/.