Schools take steps to prevent MRSA outbreak

Local school systems are taking precautions to prevent an outbreak of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or , a potentially deadly form of staph infection.

Although it is rare that the bacteria causes death in an otherwise healthy person, a Bedford County, Va., high school student died earlier this month after contracting the disease. His death prompted that school system to close all 21 schools in the district so they could be disinfected.

Locally, officials in both Halifax and Warren county school systems report no confirmed cases of the bacteria among its student body, though officials in Northampton County recently confirmed several infections had been found among its student body.

MRSA is a bacteria that causes staph infection, but it’s a more potent strain that has developed a resistance to many antibiotics.

According to information supplied by the Halifax County Health Department, such infections are generally mild and affect the skin with pimples or boils that can be swollen, painful and drain pus. These skin infections often occur in otherwise healthy people.

According to the health department information, the main mode of transport for spreading the disease is through contact with human hands.

Keith Hoggard, a spokesman for the Halifax County school system, said there have been no reported cases among the student body.

“We’re telling our janitorial staff to do a more thorough job cleaning,” he said of precautions there. “We’re using a little more bleach in the disinfectant. … We’re trying to teach the kids better hygiene, to get them to make sure they wash their hands often.”

Despite the attention MRSA has receive of late in the national media, Hoggard said he is not aware of any calls the school system has received from concerned parents.

Pat Draffin, a spokesman for the Warren County school system, said his school system also has not had any confirmed cases among its student body.

“We are taking some precautions,” he said. “The department of public instruction has sent out some things we can do, we have distributed those to all the schools.

“We’ve stepped up our cleaning of restrooms and locker rooms and that sort of thing, we’ve taken extra precautions to make sure there is always soap in soap dispensers, we’re encouraging our students to wash their hands often.”

He said the school system has received a few calls from parents, but not many.

Officials with the Halifax and Warren county health departments did not return telephone calls seeking to learn if there had been any reported cases anywhere in those counties.

The information released by the Halifax department did say precautions people can take against contracting and spreading the disease are primarily simple, basic hygiene steps.

Among those are showering every day and after exercise, using soap and water, not sharing personal items such as razors, towels, and toothbrushes, washing your hands often with warm water and soap or by using hand sanitizers, and covering skin trauma such as abrasions or cuts with a clean, dry bandage until the wound has healed.