Staph reported at LaSalle-Peru High School
<p align="justify"><font face="Nimrod MT" size="1">Two cases of staph infection have been confirmed at LaSalle-Peru High School.</font>
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<p align="justify">In a statement Friday, School Superintendent Craig Carter said two students had contracted methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA.
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<p align="justify">MRSA, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, is resistant to mainstream antibiotics and at times can be deadly. It is treatable with early detection and good medical care.
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<p align="justify">The department recently received increasing reports of outbreaks. Such outbreaks have occurred among athletes, especially in sports such as football and wrestling, whose participants are prone to skin abrasions.
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<p align="justify">"To prevent the spread at school, we have begun to 'superclean' locker/athletic rooms and equipment that might be shared," Carter said.
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<p align="justify">School officials would not disclose the ages or sex of the two students but said they have received treatment.
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<p align="justify">MRSA can be transmitted through close contact. Risk factors include skin-to-skin contact with infected persons, sharing contaminated personal items such as towels, soap and clothing, inadequate personal hygiene, direct contact with contaminated surfaces and crowded settings.
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