Staph Infection Spreads to More Schools

WASHINGTON -- School and public health officials are trying to calm the fears of parents who have flooded their phones with questions about an antibiotic-resistant strain of staph infection.

D.C. Officials have confirmed at least one case of staph infection in D.C. Public Schools. A teacher from Davis Elementary School in Southeast is the latest person to be diagnosed.

The D.C. Department of Health is investigating reports of a staph infection from two teachers at Drew Elementary School in Northeast, but the cases have not been confirmed.

Parents of D.C. Public School students received automated phone calls Thursday night informing them of ways to prevent the infection. A letter from D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee is being sent home with students on Friday.

There is at least one case of staph infection at the University of Maryland. A student was diagnosed this week and has been in the hospital for several days. A university official tells The Diamondback the student is responding to treatment.

Three D.C. Fire and EMS Department recruits have also contracted staph infections. One recruit contracted the infection on Oct. 12 and two other recruits were diagnosed Thursday, D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Tony Dorsey says.

All of the recruits are receiving medical treatment and training academy officials decontaminated the facility last week, Dorsey says.

On Thursday, Prince William County Public Schools confirmed six cases of Methicillin-Resistant Staph Aureus -- or MRSA.

The cases were reported at Battlefield, Garfield and Forest Park High schools and West Ridge Elementary School, a school spokesman says.

Now 19 Montgomery County Public School students, mostly athletes, have been diagnosed with staph infections, Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman Brian Edwards says. Eight of those had active infections as of Monday, Oct. 22.

On Monday, Oct. 22, Montgomery County schools reported five more cases this week at Seneca Valley, Greenwood, Watkins Mill, Spring Brook and Churchill High Schools.

Other schools involved include Poolesville, Rockville, Sherwood, Walt Whitman, Quince Orchard and Rockville High schools and Laytonsville, Damascus and Candlewood Elementary schools, Edwards says.

All of the infected students are being treated with antibiotics, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jerry Weast wrote in a letter to parents.

In Fairfax County, there have been six cases of staph infection reported, but it is not known if any of the cases are the MRSA strain, a school spokesman says. There are two cases reported at Thomas Jefferson High School; one case at Fairfax High School; one case at Herndon High School; and two cases at Robinson Secondary School.

Cases have also been reported in Anne Arundel County. There have been no reported cases in Prince George's and Frederick counties.

MRSA is a strain of staph bacteria that does not respond to penicillin and related antibiotics but can be treated with other drugs. The infection can be spread by skin-to-skin contact or sharing an item used by an infected person, particularly one with an open wound or runny nose, such as razors, soap, clothing, or towels.

Officials are taking additional steps at schools with suspected or confirmed MRSA cases. Locker rooms, weight rooms and physical education areas are being cleaned with a 1 to 10 bleach solution and disinfectant wipes are being provided to students.

Jon Almquist, an administrator with Fairfax County Public Schools Athletic Training Program, says the best way to avoid transmission is to "always wash your hands."

Students should also make sure "any break in your skin is appropriately covered and you don't come in contact with anyone's open wound," Almquist says.

School athletes should also take special precautions.

"Be careful of sharing things like water bottles," Almquist says.

Other steps to prevent the spread of MRSA include:

• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer;
• Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed;
• Avoid contact with other people's wounds and bandages;
• Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors
• Wipe surfaces of exercise equipment before and after use.

MRSA can look like an infected pimple or boil and can worsen to include redness, warmth, swelling, pain, and discharge.The infection can also be mistaken as a spider or insect bite.

Health officials say it is important to treat suspected MRSA early. Parents who are concerned about an unusual looking sore or wound that takes a long time to heal should consult their family's doctor.

Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Ulder J. Tilman recommends that any draining sore or wound be cultured for MRSA.

On Monday, 17-year-old Ashton Bonds, a senior at Staunton River High School in Bedford, Va., died after being diagnosed with MRSA.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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