Charter School Deals With MRSA InfectionBy Tammy Daniels
11:04AM / Saturday, October 20, 2007
ADAMS - A student diagnosed with the so-called "superbug" was removed from the Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School by the student's parents on Thursday.
School Executive Director Julia Bowen said on Friday that the student had an arm injury that became infected with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a bacterium that is highly resistant to antibiotics.
Bown said the student was not considered infectious but was taken home by the parents as a precaution. She said the student, who was not identified, is doing well and is recuperating at home.
Bowen said school officials consulted with the student's doctor, the school's nurse and doctor, the Adams Board of Health and the state Department of Public Health.
"They did not see it as a concern" she said because the diagnosis had been made early and the wound was bandaged, preventing contact with other students.
As a precaution, however, the school kept students in their classrooms after receiving the news shortly after 1 p.m. to avoid any possible transfer of the infection.
Bowen said she was told the bacteria is spread by skin to skin contact, but a cleaning crew was brought in to wipe down the entire school with a bleach and water solution.
"We would rather clean everything just to be safe," she said. That included having all the computer equipment sanitized as well by the school's information technology personnel.
The school serves about 260 students in Grades 6 through 12 from mostly Northern Berkshire.
About a third of the population carry staph bacteria in their noses or on their skin with no ill effects. They can transfer the bacteria, including the MRSA variety, through skin-to-skin transfers, athletic equipment and sharing towels.
While MRSA is carried by fewer people, its numbers are increasing, according to the state Department of Public Health.
MRSA can be deadly if not treated promptly. It was considered responsible for up to 19,000 deaths in 2005,the most recent statistics available from the federal Centers for Disease Control. Some 95,000 people that year developed a serious infection, most of them related to health care.
On Monday, a 17-year-old in Bedford County, Va., died from an MRSA infection after nearly a week in a hospital. Twenty-one Bedford County schools were closed for top-to-bottom cleaning.
Friday, Guilderland High School became the latest New York school, joining Ballston Spa and Burnt-Hill Ballston Lake, dealing with an MRSA infection. The district plans to clean all its buildings.
BArT students were sent home with letters Thursday explaining MRSA and the precautions the school was taking, and noting that all the classrooms were equipped with hand sanitizers and first aid kits.
It also listed the best ways to prevent infection:
1. Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
2. Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed.
3. Avoid contact with other people's wounds or bandages.
4. Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors.
The state Department of Public Health says the No. 1 way to prevent the transfer of any infection is simple: Wash your hands. |
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