Deadly 'superbug' infection has health officials on alert

Cases of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, in schools nationwide, including four in Connecticut, have put the infection at the forefront of local health officials' minds.

A high school senior in Virginia died Monday from the disease.

But, health officials say the so-called Super-bug staph infection has been around for about 20 years, and hospitals regularly treat cases.

Preventing the bacteria from becoming a skin or blood infection is as simple as washing your hands.

MRSA is a methicillin-resistant strain of staphylococcus aureus, or staph. It mostly is prevalent in hospitals, but nationwide, officials have started to see cases of community-spread MRSA in recent years said Pam Harazim, a nurse epidemiologist at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich.

"You could certainly get it anywhere, any time you have a number of people in close contact, especially for a prolonged period of time," Harazim said. "Children are together for six to eight hours a day (in school)."

But the strain is everywhere, officials say. Between 25 and 30 percent of people carry the staph bacteria on their skin, and an additional 1 percent have the MRSA strain in their noses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site. Patients that carry MRSA - and those who come into contact with them - can become ill if they develop a skin infection.

While MRSA is resistant to methicillin, a common treatment for staph, other antibiotics will treat MRSA, said Peter Shea, director of health at Backus.

There are no reports of recent MRSA infections in any schools in New London and Windham counties, but several districts are taking steps to inform parents and teachers about the disease and prevent its spread.

Montville Superintendent David B. Erwin said he received a fact sheet about MRSA Friday morning from the Uncas Health District and planned to post it on the school district's Web site. He said he would inform parents about any cases of MRSA infection.

Phyllis Cummings, school health supervisor for Norwich Public Schools, said she met with custodians Friday morning. Custodians now will clean the schools' bathrooms and nurse's offices immediately after the students leave school for the day as a "proactive" measure to prevent the spread of any disease, Cummings said.

Otherwise, the schools plan to continue to emphasize the important of washing hands to prevent MRSA and any other disease, Cummings said. If a student were infected, Cummings said, a nurse probably would wash and bandage the affected area and send the child home with a note.

Children can remain in school if the MRSA-infected area remains covered and does not drain fluid, according to the state Department of Public Health.

Most cases of MRSA are treated in doctor's offices, not hospitals, Shea said. But hospitals see cases of MRSA regularly, he said.

Shea said the best way to prevent MRSA is to pretend everyone around you has it and take appropriate precautions. Washing hands regularly, covering wounds and not sharing items such as towels or razors is the best prevention, Shea and Harazim said.

"Basically, it's the things your mother taught you," Harazim said.

Reach Marisa Maldonado of The Norwich (Conn.) Bulletin at 860-425-4255 or mmaldonado@norwichbulletin.com.