Schools

Staph scare prompts scrubdown at school

Officials say they were being cautious at Deltona.

By TOM MARSHALL, Times Staff Writer
Published October 30, 2007

SPRING HILL - Call it being careful, or call it the latest sign of mass hysteria.

Either way, one Hernando County school got an unscheduled scrub down over the weekend, after a single case of illness at Deltona Elementary raised the possibility of staph infection.

Or not.

"We don't have any students with any documentation of any infectious disease at this point," said Jim Knight, director of student services. "We're just erring on the side of caution."

His boss, superintendent Wayne Alexander, said the district took the precaution of disinfecting the school after a report that one child "might have a staph infection."

Since the child hadn't been in school for a week, and the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria lives for just three days, any risk was minimal, Alexander said.

"I just wanted to go the extra mile to help dispel the anxiety that people might have," he added. "To hopefully minimize the concern that staff might have."

National awareness of the infection spiked this month after publication of a Journal of the American Medical Association report that a drug-resistant strain, MRSA, is more prevalent than had been thought.

It was found about 95,000 times in 2005 and may have contributed to more than 18,000 U.S. deaths, the Journal reported.

The ordinary staph bacteria is even more common, turning up in about 30 percent of American noses, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

"What's happening now is every parent whose child is sick is scared to death," Knight said.

The disease is marked by red, swollen skin infections, and responds to treatment with Methicillin. The resistant strain can be treated with more powerful antibiotics.

Hernando officials said there was no indication MRSA has infected county students.

Just the same, the district was preparing Monday to send parents a flier listing precautions, and provide extra training for school personnel. And officials were starting to sound like cautious school nurses.

"Wash your hands; sanitize; cuts should have Band-Aids on them," Alexander said.

Tom Marshall can be reached at tmarshall@sptimes.com or 352 848-1431.

Fast facts

Avoiding staph infections

-Wash hands frequently with soap or an alcohol-based sanitizer.

-Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage.

- Avoid contact with other people's wounds.

- Avoid sharing personal items like towels and razors.

[Last modified October 30, 2007, 07:16:16]