Staph in Schools

It's definitely time for a staph meeting. The message boards have been buzzing about the recent outbreak of MRSA infections in schools, with most people wondering: How worried should we be, exactly? Is this a "hit panic button now" situation, or more of a "wash your hands often" type thing?

First, a little background: A Virginia high school senior died recently after contracting methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant staph infection. Since then students in school districts in at least six states have been infected with MRSA, and three of the children have died. Many schools have shut down temporarily for cleaning, since the infection tends to spread fastest in gyms, locker rooms, hospitals, and other places where people tend to share equipment, linens and personal items.

cl-pt40 pointed out on the Getting Fit in Your 40s board that misleading information about the recent outbreaks is spreading like, well, an infection: "A local TV station somehow got the wrong info and reported our school systems as being closed until further notice."

But that doesn't mean the risk isn't real. Staph has hit close to home for several iVillagers, and most seem to be on the mend, thank goodness. cl-lissa_88, for instance, has seen the enemy come a little too close for comfort, writing on the Tone Up Your Body board that "[p]ersonally, this scares me. I had a staph infection on my leg back in February, and we really are unsure how I got it. I've told my kids to really wash their hands and to be careful, but I have to admit, my 4 year old worries me."

And ginaegg, a mom on the January '03 Jitterbugs board, has a brave little patient at home whose experience may raise some red flags for other moms of school-aged kids:

"Poor thing, she just can't win for losing. She showed me a spot on her leg on Saturday night, high on her thigh. 'This spot hurts, Mommy.' I put hydrogen peroxide on it and it was starting to look a little angry, so I dabbed some Bactroban on it. By this afternoon it was a *really pissed off* area -- significantly larger, about as wide as my hand. A friend of mine at church is a RN, I had her look at it and asked, 'ER?' She said, 'No, but definitely an after-hours clinic. That's staph.' The doctor in the AHC agreed that it is most likely CA-MRSA, which they're seeing a lot in children. He wrote her a script for Septra and she has to stay out of school until she's had a full day of antibiotics. :( She **flipped out** when they took a culture of it. That was pretty much hell. So, we're doing warm compresses, warm baths, ibuprofen for pain and will be on antibiotics tomorrow morning. Our hand washing would make Detective Monk proud. :P So, if your kids get a little sore that suddenly flares up REALLY ugly -- hie thee to the doctor **immediately**."

Good advice, ginaegg (and give that little one a big get-well-soon squeeze from Da Village).

It's hard not to feel freaked out when so many stories are written about a scary infectious disease in schools within a week or so. And many more iVillagers are reporting that they've been affected directly or indirectly by MRSA.

But as sparkysarah, a registered nurse who knows whereof she speaks, writes on the Frugal Families board:

"I personally don't stress over these infections. Maintain good handwashing and get any skin wounds that don't improve after a couple of days inspected by a doctor. You can't live your life scared, but it's good to be informed so you know what to look for."

If you're a mom of school-aged kids who's worried about the news, you could also follow the good example of squeeks2001 on the Acne, Eczema and Skin Conditions board, who made sure to talk to her kids about MRSA (and helpfully posted a few visual aids, too).

Has the recent staph outbreak affected you or someone you love? Do you think the media is overreacting, or do you think our schools may be underreacting?