School systems keeping close eye on MRSA

By NATE HUBBARD/Staff

School officials in Bland and Wythe counties are counting their blessings that they have largely avoided the latest school health scare and are taking preventative measures to make sure that their good fortunate continues.
Virginia has made national headlines with a flurry of MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) cases, including the mid-October death of a Bedford County high school student.
MRSA illnesses are forms of staph infections that can’t be treated with common antibiotics. Extreme cases can lead to serious complications such as wounds that don’t heal, bloodstream infections, organ damage and even death.
“There are a variety of risk factors related to whether or not someone becomes ill,” said Dr. Christopher Novak, a medical epidemiologist at the Virginia Department of Health. “If you have a wound, if you are on a sports team and get a turf burn or a nick in the skin from shaving, those kinds of things give organisms entry. If the body can’t fight it off for some reason, sometimes it’s just bad luck, at that particular moment you were vulnerable.”
Bland County Superintendent Don Hodock said that one student-athlete in his school system had a “skin or flesh injury” in late August or early September.
“We were never given the term staph or MRSA, either one,” he said.
The football player received care for the injury and no other issues have been reported, Hodock said.
The school district did take some preventative measures after it became aware of the injury, notably thoroughly sanitizing the Bland County football locker room.
Hodock said that he didn’t think any unusual cleaning methods were used, and that essentially the normal cleaning schedule was just altered to make sure everything was safe after the report.
“They used some kind of bleach solution,” he said. “I don’t know that we did anything out of the ordinary.”
Rocky Gap High School also has a letter posted on its Web site that was sent home to parents giving details about MRSA infections and advice on keeping children healthy.
On Oct. 24, Gov. Tim Kaine passed a regulation stating that MRSA infections must be reported to the Virginia Department of Health.
Dr. Craig Smith, director of the Mount Rogers Health District, said in a phone message Monday afternoon that the governor’s measure only concerns invasive MRSA cases.
“The emergency order just regulates the reporting of invasive MRSA, which would not be the common MRSA that we are seeing on the skin,” he said. “It’s only going to be MRSA in spinal fluid, say, or blood or internal organs.”
Although MRSA can be dangerous, Smith said simple measures can go a long way toward preventing trouble.
“MRSA is passed through direct contact,” he said in a separate interview. “It is thought to be rare to contract it from environmental surfaces. It’s not a superbug on surfaces. Ordinary stuff kills it dead.”
Smith added that it was the invasive MRSA which resulted in the Bedford County death. Prior to the new measure, only outbreaks were reported to health officials.
The health department, though, is still working closely with local schools.
“We enjoy wonderful cooperation from the health department and the director, Dr. Craig Smith,” said Albert Armentrout, superintendent of Wythe County public schools. “He has been invaluable in this process and a wonderful counselor.”
Armentrout said that his school district has one confirmed case of MRSA, but emphasized that it was the non-invasive variety.
He said the case occurred in early October, but that by the time the school district was notified the student already had received treatment.
“When it was reported to me, the student had been completely cured and so it wasn’t of concern to us,” Armentrout said. “The student had been treated and released by his doctor.”
Initially, Armentrout said he didn’t recall what school the student attended, but he later called back and said that he believed the case was from a child who attends Jackson Memorial Elementary School.
He also said that he had Lee Johnson, school health coordinator, send home a letter to parents across the district letting them know what preventative measures the school system is taking.
“We are sterilizing our lockers on a daily basis,” Armentrout said. “We have certainly made all of our coaches and physical education teachers aware.”
Armentrout added that school nurses are monitoring any suspicious infections and encouraging basic health safety measures such as covering open wounds and hand washing.
Overall, Armentrout said he thinks that the Wythe County school system and schools around the state are taking the appropriate steps.
“I’m really proud of public education in general because I believe that we’re addressing the problem,” he said. “We’re always going to try to be proactive and try to promote a healthy environment for our students and employees.”
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 1-800-655-1406 or . Dan Kegley, Tammie Smith, Mac McLean, Marjolijn Bijlefeld, and Robert Burke, Media General News Service, contributed to this report.