[Desi]

Hi all! Ok My daughter came home from school with a note saying: Dear parents, This lettter is to make you aware that a student at our school has been diagnosed with MRSA(Staff infection) there is a lot more in the letter stating that they are going to go Above and beyond the guidelines, the elementary building will be disinfected over the weekend. Friends, I am so scared!! I read on AOL headlines that a little boy from NewYork died from this at his school! Another 17 yr. old boy died also!! This is scarry.. How can parents send their kids to school with sores all over him?? ok.. vent done. Do any of you know how serious this is?? what can I do to protect my 7 yr. old daughter? thanks all!! ~Love, Desi

[Curious]

it can be just one sore desi. then get into the blood stream. i'm not even sure if sores even have to be visiable.

so far in the dfw area the super bug has been found in 4 schools. i believe 2 deaths.

all i can say is send hand sanitizer to you daughters class. clorox cleanups. i help keep my grandson's class clean. they use the "special soap" many times during the day. my daughter is 13 and keeps packets of the sanitizers in her purse.

i know how scarey this is.

[Joselita]

We are having an “outbreak”, for lack of a better word, down here in Alabama too. 7 different schools in 3 different counties (Jefferson, Shelby, & St. Clair) have reported having students dx’ed with staph (of varying numbers. Most of these schools only have one student dx’ed with staph, but there was one that has something like 3? I will watch news and make sure of that figure tonight, since that is ALL that they are talking about on the Birmingham [which is in Jefferson County] stations). I don’t know how these things vary from State to State, but on our news, they are saying that the schools aren’t required to notify parents when another student has been dx’ed with Staph. They are also saying that the numbers of students being dx’ed with staph IS NOT abnormal....although I haven’t ever heard of it like this, while my kids were still in school.

Desi.....please try not to panic. Staph can’t do anything, unless it gets UNDER the skin...as in getting into a cut or scrape or such. Just try to make sure that your daughter understands that it is SUPER important for her to wash her hands! You said she is 7, right? Maybe that is old enough for her to be a “Bigger Girl” (a term that my daughter LOVED to use when she was small. LOL) and start carrying her own purse? If she has a purse, then you could make sure to tuck some hand sanitizer into it, and tell her to use it, and use it often, ON TOP Of washing her hands.

The school should be implementing some sort of plan to sanitize the school. The ones here that have reported any problems, have had gone through and cleaned EVERYTHING! There is even one, that does have a student that has been infected with the MRSA strain...(he just didn’t get it from the school campus)...that has this special thing that they use twice a week to sanitize the whole fieldhouse/locker room area, ON TOP of a special cleaning schedule. They already had this in place BEFORE This student got exposed to MRSA from somewhere else. I know that this school I am talking about is a High School (they have said that Staph is something that High School athletes have to be on guard about, because of the contact they have...like in football, and such), and your daughter is in Elementary school....but there ARE things that the school can do...and that I am sure that they will. If that letter doesn’t say what they are planning to do to try to get the Staph out of the school, then call and ask them! I would.

I would hope that they would be using this weekend to clean up the school...since no kids will be there, and it will be a prime opportunity to get everything sanitized and nice and disinfected for the new school week to start on Monday.....and to be able to set lots of concerned and scared parents minds at rest. I do hope that the child that is infected is able to get rid of the infection.....and that no drastic measure had to be taken in order for that to happen. MRSA is one of the more resistant strains of staph, but there are ways that they can treat it. It is just harder to do so.

But, about the only other thing that you can do to try to protect your daughter is to just reinforce the importance of washing her hands, and keeping herself clean. The stuff can’t do anything while it is on the skin....so making sure that it gets washed off is the best line of defense. You know? I am sure that nothing will help to set your mind to rest until you can go over her entire self with a fine tooth comb (if you haven’t already), and make sure she doesn’t have any “owies”. LOL, I probably would have freaked and strip searched my kid([s] since they were usually in he same school at the same time, what with their being only 16 months apart in age) while trying to dunk them in a bath tub at the same time, probably AS SOON as I got finished reading that letter! So, I know that it is much easier for me to sit here and say “be calm....I am sure that everything is alright”, than it is to actually be on the receiving end of that advice. ((((Hugs))))

I am sure that she will be ok. Just try to remain calm, and explain to her the best that you can what has gone on. She doesn’t need to be afraid...just cautious and smart (which I am sure she is!). Besides, you never know; you might find out that she knows more about this than you think...

Please let us know what you find out about how your school intends on dealing with this problem. Hopefully, like I said, they will ALREADY have folks out there, cleaning everything up as we speak. I am sending you lots of good thoughts and prayers, because I know how upset and scared you must be, to get a letter like that out of the blue. More (((((Hugs)))))) too.

I don’t know what I think about the news people saying that this isn’t an “problem”....when so many schools, from so many places seem to be having the same thing going on? Like I said, I don’t remember this being an issue when my kids were still in school, let alone when I was. Maybe they are just reporting it more now? I don’t know. Hopefully all of these schools that have reported this problem will do whatever it takes to get cleaned up, and stay that way. They can’t be responsible for what kids carry into the schools, but they can try to do whatever they can to make sure that it doesn’t get spread around once it is at the school. If that made sense. I hope you know what I meant. Please let us know what you find out. I understand how scared & worried you must be.

Love and ((Hugs))
Jose

[tayla4me]

Dear Desi,

MRSA is a Staphlococcus Infection that is resistant to most antibiotics. It is a huge problem for hospitals and health care institutes as it can enter wounds after surgery and cause infections but because it is not sensitive to most antibiotics it is harder to treat and the complications come in the form of long term hospitilisation and the possibility of septicaemia.
It is particulalry dangerous, as is any infection, for the elderly, people with chronic illnesses and babies.
Most of us are well able to fight off these infections with our immune systems.
To have an outbreak in the school would indicate that an infected child has come to school, not washed his hands and therefore passed it on. It does not mean the school has been remiss in it's duty of care.
Staph is everywhere, many of us will be carrying MRSA as normal body flora but we do not get sick from it.
As Jose said the ONLY way to stop this spread is to actively encourage your children to be vigilant about washing hands after toilet after playtime and before eating.
Perhaps you could provide your little girl with some antibacterial wipes in her school bag?
Please do not panic Desi Most people do not get sick from contact unless there is a wound and even then handwashing will help to eliminate that risk.
Take care and love
Tayla

[ali12]

Hi there
I totally agree - the child should not go to school with MRSA, it is a bad illness.
I have just read on Google about MRSA for you.
Tell your daughter not to:
Touch the person with MRSA
Try her best not to touch objects that the person with MRSA as touched (I know this will be hard)
Tell her not to play around with dust/mud etc, this can contain small amounts of MRSA.
If shes got a cut/bruise/scratch etc tell her not to pick it.

Here is the link to the website I used, I found it helpful:
http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_informa...90305mrsa.html
This website is helpful too:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Policyandgui...ion/DH_4093113

Hope this helps you
Alison

[jllenrad]

Hi Desi,

It's in our paper today about a student having MRSA (Licking County/OH).
It says there are Ohio Department of Health Guidelines - concerning precautions and cleaning.

Watkins Person Diagnosed With Staph
School District Taking Precautions
By ABBEY STIRGWOLT
Advocate Reporter

PATASKALA -- Although Watkins Memorial High School is "taking necessary precautions" after the discovery Friday morning of virulent staph infection MRSA, one case isn't enough for worry, Southwest Licking Local Schools Superintendent Forest Yocum said.

"There's only one person who has been identified, so we're working with the health department and following the recommendations of the health department," he said.

MRSA began making national headlines earlier this month when a government study reported almost 19,000 people in the United States die each year from the germ and about 90,000 become infected.

Several cases recently have been reported in schools around Ohio and in several other states.

Though previously thought to be most common in hospitals and health care facilities, concern spread to schools, and especially gyms, where skin-to-skin contact and sharing of items, such as towels or sports equipment, can be more frequent.

Yocum said he learned of the case Friday morning. Southwest Licking Local Schools sent letters Friday to parents notifying them one case had been discovered. The letter also contained information about symptoms and protection of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a drug-resistant strain that causes skin infections and is highly contagious.

"Please know that all district buildings are following guidelines from the Ohio Department of Health regarding prevention of MRSA, including proper cleaning of school facilities," the letter stated.

Yocum said school would remain in session, and Friday's Watkins Memorial home football game against Dublin Scioto was not affected.

"There was not an athlete that was infected," he said. "It was not from locker rooms or anything."

He added that, to his knowledge, the person infected was not an athlete.

"We don't even know if a person contracted it at the school," he said.

What is it?
MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is an antibiotic-resistant bacteria that frequently causes skin infections and can be difficult to treat. It can be spread through skin-to-skin contact, direct contact with infected wound drainage or contact with contaminated surfaces or things such as sports equipment. It is not spread through the air.

Symptoms
Signs of MRSA include redness, warmth, swelling and tenderness. It may appear as a bite, boil, abscess or pimple.

Prevention
Ways to protect against MRSA:
Wash hands with soap and water and/or disinfectant.
Cover open skin with clean, dry bandages.
Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors.
Use barriers, such as clothing or towels, between skin and shared equipment.
Wipe surfaces of equipment before and after use.

Source: Ohio Department of Health

[Curious]

desi,

your post got me thinking.

i emailed the president of my little guys school. she sent out a mass email and got most to committ to helping keep the classrooms, bathrooms and lunchroom extra clean during the day. we know the schools can only afford so many on staff. very hard for them to keep going back to clean the same areas.

teaching the kids to be carefull is very important too. no sharing of pencils, crayons, all school supplies.

this should help with not only the stagh...but general spreading of germs and the kids getting colds and the flu.

[mrsD]

has been around for a while. It has slowly emerged from bath houses/gyms/locker rooms/and hospitals to the general population.

I would expect many many people are already colonized.

What you really have to watch now, are skin injuries/bites.

Picking scabs, trying to break open a pimple or using a needle to lance a boil,
road rash injuries...anything that would push the bacteria into deeper layers
of skin can cause the organism to become a serious problem. Keep skin lesions covered, disinfect with hydrogen peroxide
and put triple antibiotic on them. (that is what I am doing). Wash hands and make sure nails are clean underneath.

In general Staph is not that virulent..unless given a permission slip into the body. I had a non-mrsa staph infection many years ago (almost 30) during a trip to Maine.
A black fly bit me on the eyelid--I did not feel it, and the next day I had a 104 fever. Swollen eye shut...very sick. I almost died from that. If it had been mrsa I probably would not be typing this today.

Little kids are the highest at risk IMO... so schools should be aggressive with cleaning. Try to teach them...no picking of scabs, no picking the nose... which depending on the kid might well be impossible!

Keeping your immune system in good shape is important too. EFAs strengthen the skin, and zinc and selenium do too. So a good diet is very helpful in keeping Staph at bay.

[tayla4me]

Originally Posted by ali12

Hi there
I totally agree - the child should not go to school with MRSA, it is a bad illness.
I have just read on Google about MRSA for you.
Tell your daughter not to:
Touch the person with MRSA
Try her best not to touch objects that the person with MRSA as touched (I know this will be hard)
Tell her not to play around with dust/mud etc, this can contain small amounts of MRSA.
If shes got a cut/bruise/scratch etc tell her not to pick it.

Here is the link to the website I used, I found it helpful:
http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_informa...90305mrsa.html
This website is helpful too:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Policyandgui...ion/DH_4093113

Hope this helps you
Alison

Hi Ali,

Thank you for your links but I just wish to talk about one thing that you said about Children with MRSA and telling your child not to touch them.
MRSA is a germ that is passed on often to innocent and clean people usually via the health sysyem. I say usually because it is by far the most common place of being infected.
As someone who has had MRSA (courtesy of poor handwashing by medical staff) the feeling of being isolated and ostracised is very, very upsetting.
There is a general misinformed and unnecessary hysteria which often accompanies the wound swab..
Many, many of you will actually be harboring this bug under your nails etc without any illness coming from it. Mostly our immune systems will cope with these very common bacteria.
All of this would be prevented if only EVERYONE washed their hand thoroughly after play, after the toilet and before eating.
I believe it is a parents responsibility to teach correct hand washing technique and the expectation should be that schools etc will follow this up in their establishments.
Too often have I seen children forget to wash or the lack of correct handwashing equipment in schools.
The child with MRSA must have their wound properly sealed and then he should not present any issues to those who they play with as long as correct hygiene is carried out by those who play with them.
Isolation and segregation is not necessary or fair to the usually innocent vicitm of someone elses carelessness.
Of course once it has been established that there is a victim in the school then all efforts to thoroughly cleanse the equipment with an antibacterial is necessary and I applaud the fact that this seems to be what has happened but to be honest the most common infection passed on by non handwashing people is Gastroenteritis.
Cheers
Tayla

[Desi]

Thank you all, so very much!!
Curious, I love the idea of sanitizer! Thanks for that tip! Her school was built only 5 yrs. ago and it is very well taken care of. Everytime I walk in there, it always smells so good!
Jose, You said on your local news that they mentioned that the schools aren't required to notify parents when another student has been dxed with staph?? This would make me so mad!! A few times when lice was in the school, they notified every single parent on that too! My daughter is not allowed to carry a purse to tuck the hand sanitizer in it. I will however put it into her book bag and she can then put it into her desk. Josie, I did mention this at the beginning of my letter, about how the letter sent home, said that they are going to go above and beyond the guidelines, that the building will be disinfected over the weekend. So, that relieves some of the pressure off me. They left two phone numbers. It says;"If you have any questions or concerns, please contact either the building administrators or me(the Superintendent). I did explain how important it is for her to wash her hands. So you would probably strip searched your kids?? LOL I didn't do that to Desi, I just gave her a bath after reading that letter and made sure there was nothing on her! LOL Thanks for the much needed hugs Jose!
Hi ya Tayla! Wow you sure made a lot of sense here! I sure hope that student who has the MRSA heals quickly! I didn't know that MRSA is resistant to most antibiotics!!! wow!! Thank you for your reply, Tayla!
Hi Alison! Thank you so very much for those links!! Your such a sweetie to send this on. I put them into my favorites.
Hello Jllenrad! You mentioned Ohio and I freaked! We are from Ohio!!
You mentioned several cases have been reported in schools around Ohio, plus several other states? Oh my gosh, this is scary! Thanks for the "Heads up" on everything!
Hi Mrs D. Thanks for your reply! You mentioned that little kids are the highest at risk! wonder why that's so?? There are adults that are much worse off then children when it comes to cleaning themselves! You also mentioned about keeping you immune system in good shape, is important too.That is so true!! Thank you for your reply back, Mrs. D. Again, thank you all for responding and giving good advice on this. I am much calmer now!! Ya, right.. LOL ~Love, Desi