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Officials: No need for schools to panic about 'superbugs'
By Carla K. Johnson
Associated Press
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CHICAGO -- Some Illinois school districts are alerting parents and scrubbing desks with hospital-grade disinfectants after reports of students coming down with drug-resistant staph infections.

But it's unclear whether the so-called ``superbug'' cases in several Chicago suburbs represent an unusually high number, or a blip triggered by news of a Virginia student's death and a government report estimating the bug kills nearly 19,000 Americans a year.

There's no cause for panic, health officials said, while also urging hand-washing and proper wound care. The infection spreads through skin-to-skin contact and shared personal items such as towels and razors.

``We've basically had steady, intermittent reports from schools and correctional facilities over the past couple of years'' of drug-resistant staph infections, said Dr. Craig Conover of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Dr. John Jernigan, an expert on drug-resistant staph at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, agreed.

``I don't think we're seeing any sudden increase in the past few weeks of cases,'' Jernigan said.

Drug-resistant staph bacteria are not as common as regular staph. About 30 percent of people harbor common staph bacteria on their skin and in their noses without symptoms.

But some strains have become resistant to mainline antibiotics. Called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, these peskier bugs can turn deadly if they enter the bloodstream or lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-destroying infection.

It's important to keep in mind that the chances of a MRSA infection turning deadly are low, Jernigan said. Even though the bacteria outwit some antibiotics, there are other antibiotics that still work.

Schools in the Chicago suburbs of Evergreen Park, Aurora and Naperville reported several new confirmed cases of MRSA this week.

Holy Angels Catholic School in Aurora closed Thursday for cleaning after officials learned of a case of MRSA. The school is expected to reopen Friday.

Also in Aurora, a Prairie Children Preschool student was successfully treated for MRSA about five weeks ago and has returned to school with medical approval.

In Naperville, a Neuqua Valley High School Frontier Campus student is out of school and under a doctor's care for MRSA.

And in Evergreen Park, two students in different elementary schools were successfully treated for MRSA and never missed school, said District 124 Superintendent Craig Fiegel.

``These students both had sores that didn't heal. The parents took them to the doctor and the doctors did run some tests,'' Fiegel said. ``We went to the Department of Public Health Web site and got all the information about how to clean the school.''

Reporting of MRSA cases to Illinois health officials has not been specifically required in the past. But officials have proposed a rule change requiring health care providers to report three or more lab-confirmed cases during a two-week period to local health departments.

On Oct. 19, a memo about the proposed reporting requirement went to local health departments and school districts, Conover said. The memo may have added to already heightened awareness of MRSA, he said.

``Clearly, there's the potential for rumors,'' Conover said. ``Improper interpretation of diagnostic reports could lead to reports that are inaccurate and fuel anxiety unnecessarily.''

A flood of news media inquiries followed one school district's e-mail alerts to parents.

``We now have a stampede of all the Chicago media on our doorstep,'' said Melea Smith, spokeswoman for Naperville Community Unit School District 203, where two freshmen football players were infected with MRSA earlier this month and three more students now are being tested.

Officials don't regret alerting parents, but at a recent meeting of school communication directors, Smith said she told them their turn may be next.

``I said to my fellow school PR people, it's in your district. It's there. You may or may not know about it, but it's there.''

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Reader comments on this story - 2 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

JD to MRSA wrote on Oct 26, 2007 2:32 AM:

" To is unlikely to ever be over unless a vaccine is created. Even if every American is 'cleaned' of the bacteria, the bacteria will continue to exist. Studies have found MRSA on object in all walks of life, even on equipment in gyms. While a terrible bacteria, there is little that panicking will accomplish. Without a vaccine, a person could get it the next time they go grab a can of food at the grocery store. It is just something that we created, and are now going to have to deal with. "

MRSA wrote on Oct 25, 2007 10:50 PM:

" I have had several outbreaks of MRSA for over a year now. I have never spread it to anyone in my family, The doctors have told me it is only skin on skin contact. I can not express enough how having this has changed my life. I have been so scared of spreading it to my family, I recently purchased all new linens a new bed and towels. It is a horrible thing to deal with ! I really hope that it will soon be over so I can live a normal life "
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