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School armed against illness |
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Wednesday, 31 October 2007 |
By MIKE BURKHOLDER
Managing Editor
ST. MARYS — A recent case of a drug resistant strain of staph bacteria prompted local school officials to begin an education campaign informing parents, students and faculty members about the illness.
St. Marys Superintendent Ken Baker told The Evening Leader the school district recently had a reported case of methicillin-resistent Staphyloccusa ureus, or MRSA. Baker said school officials launched a campaign to help inform students about the dangers of the form of staph infection.
“We’ve announced it and we did have one about two months ago,” Baker said. “We had one when it was at the front edge of notoriety — before it hit the media.”
MRSA is a strain of the staph bacteria that is resistant to many types of anti-biotics. Baker said when health officials confirmed the case of MRSA, school officials contact county health officials to determine the necessary steps that should be taken at the school.
“We did call the health department and they gave us a list of recommendations and a list of cleans and sanitizers,” Baker said. “We gave those to our custodians and they began wiping down equipment and cleaning with them.”
In addition to disinfecting equipment inside the school, Baker said officials began to inform students on the dangers of the illness.
Baker said daily announcements to the student body are geared toward education and prevention.
“We have done several announcements encouraging the students to wash their hands frequently,” Baker said. “We also installed liquid hand sanitizers in several locations.”
Staff members at the school also sat through a handful of presentations regarding MRSA awareness.
Baker said the presentations should give school officials the necessary tools to help combat MRSA when other cases flare up.
“We had the county health department come in and do a presentation for us during inservices,” Baker said. “Our school nurse also has been in daily contact with them asking what we should be doing.”
Recent media reports from across the state put MRSA in the headlines. A school in Fairborn last week cancelled classes after a student contracted the illness.
“I talked to the health department and they thought that was an over-reaction,” Baker said. “We probably will have more cases. What we keep telling them is to wash their hands and encouraging them that if they notice something to tell some one.” |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 03 November 2007 )
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