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Wilton health officials say 'Superbug' staph is controllable
Oct 25, 2007
In the wake of a confirmed case of staph infection in Weston last week, Wilton health officials say that the disease is controllable and that by educating the public, it can be contained.
“The thing is, is that this is controllable,” Steve Schole, director of health, said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “This particular MRSA is resistant to a particular antibiotic but there are other antibiotics that can be used” to treat the bacteria, he said.
MRSA (pronounced mer-sa) stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It’s been more commonly referred to as the “superbug.” A Weston high school student was diagnosed as having the infection but officials there, who released a statement early last week, provided few details other than announcing that steps were being taken to control it and urging precautions.
According to Pat Mshar, an epidemiologist with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, MRSA is a variation of the common bacteria Staphylococcus aureus that has evolved the ability to survive treatment with certain antibiotics, including penicillin and methicillin.
The organism, which was discovered in 1961 in the United Kingdom, is most dangerous in hospital-acquired infections.
In hospitals, patients might have open wounds and weakened immune systems and are therefore at increased risk for infection, she said.
Dr. Gary Richards, superintendent of schools, said that the public schools have taken precautionary measures to remain proactive, doing what they can to ensure the safety of the students.
Regarding the staph infection, we have been working with our medical advisor and “we have placed information about the precautionary measures on our district Web site,” Dr. Richards said.
“In our mission to maintain the health and welfare of all members of the Wilton community, we are proactive in addressing concerns,” Dr. Richards wrote on the school district’s Web site, wilton.k12.ct.us. “Our purpose in providing you with accurate information is precaution and prevention, not alarm.”
Mr. Schole said that nobody had contacted him with concerns, but that information is available and can help reduce the transmission of the infection.
“At the moment, we have not been asked to provide any information” to residents, Mr. Schole said. “However, it is available on the Web and I’d send it over to anyone who asks.”
Dr. Richards echoed Mr. Schole’s sentiment on the district’s Web site.
“At this time, we are asking parents to discuss this issue with their children,” Dr. Richards wrote.
Ellen Andrews, the district’s director of human resources and general administration, said in a phone interview on Tuesday that the schools have also spoke with students about the bacteria.
“We have already been working with the students,” Ms. Andrews said. “We met with all of our athletic teams about making sure they don’t share equipment or personal clothing items or things of that nature.”
Ms. Andrews said teachers have spoken to their students about staph infections, and Christy Hayes, athletic director, talked to the high school’s teams.
“We are doing our best to make sure our kids stay infection-free,” Ms. Andrews said.
Dr. Jeanine Freliech, the school district’s medical adviser, said on Tuesday by phone that a few parents have called in asking about the bacteria.
“We’re getting some phone calls,” Dr. Freliech said. “For a handful of kids, parents come in and they’ll show us a rash. Certainly when parents are here, they’re asking us.”
Dr. Freliech said that since the issue has hit the press, parents are becoming informed of how to help prevent the bacteria from spreading.
“This is a bacteria that’s everywhere — there’s just a question of why some kids are affected by it and some are not,” she said. Dr. Freliech said that if one was to take a random sample of 10 different locations on a New York City subway, as many as nine of them might have the bug.
Although the bacteria can affect people of all ages, Dr. Freliech said that it’s harder to treat kids with the antibiotics that adult bodies can handle more easily.
“You worry about the kids because they’re young and if you need a strong antibiotic, it’s a lot harder on a kid than on an adult,” she said.
Dr. Freliech said that parents should “talk to their kids about it. If their kids have a rash, see the doctor.”
Statewide response
“Recent cases of infection of public school students are being monitored closely by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH),” Gov. M. Jodi Rell said in a statement to the state’s school superintendents last week. “My office is working with both the Department of Education and DPH to track cases of infection and to provide information about MRSA to school districts and the public.”
She stressed that MRSA is preventable and treatable.
Ms. Mshar said most of the infected people are otherwise healthy, so they likely will not get seriously sick from the MRSA.
The bacteria can be treated with common antibiotics; it is only resistant to penicillin and methicillin, she said.
MRSA is not unusual, she said. Until recently, it was mostly found in hospitals among immuno-compromised people, and in that situation, it can be serious.
Recently, it has moved into the general community, among mostly healthy people, but there is no need for worry, she said.
According to Ms. Mshar, 25% to 30% of people carry staph bacteria, and a lower percentage carries MRSA.
“Don’t panic,” she said. “It is pretty unlikely that you will get MRSA, and if it does happen, it probably won’t be serious if you are healthy.”
According to a press release, Gov. Rell asked the state public health department to set up a hotline that the public may call to speak to representatives from the department in case they had any questions. The public may call 800-830-9426 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
“The cases of MRSA have raised understandable concerns among school officials, students, teachers and parents,” Ms. Rell said. “Because awareness and education are the keys to preventing MRSA, I have asked the state health department to convene a number of forums of health experts that school and university officials, athletic directors, parents and other interested groups can attend to discuss and receive information about the growing issue of MRSA.”
The hotline was activated on Monday, and had received hundreds of calls over its first two days.
“With about 450 phone calls in just two days, it is clear that there was a big demand for this hotline, and I am pleased to see that the public is getting answers to questions about MRSA,” Ms. Rell said.
According to a press release, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta stated that the staph germ was responsible for 94,000 serious infections and nearly 19,000 deaths in 2005, surpassing deaths from AIDS by more than 6,100, according to an estimate published in the Oct. 17 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The only way to determine if an infection is caused by MRSA is through laboratory testing ordered by a physician or other health care provider.
Students or staff members who are found to be infected with MRSA do not need to be routinely excluded from the classroom. Exclusion from school should be reserved for those with wound drainage that cannot be covered and contained with a clean, dry dressing taped on all four sides.
Potentially contaminated surfaces should be cleaned with an EPA-registered disinfectant, labeled effective against MRSA, and manufacturers’ directions should be followed. Household bleach diluted 1:100, with a new solution made every day, may also be used.
Other sources of information: the state Department of Public Health at 860-509-7994 or cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a list of EPA-registered products deemed effective against MRSA at epa.gov/oppad001/chemregindex.htm.
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