Staph has schools scrubbing

School custodians across the region are stepping up cleaning efforts in their battle to keep buildings well scrubbed, sanitized, and free from an antibiotic-resistant strain of staphylococcus that is showing up in classrooms.

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus - known as MRSA - has been reported in a handful of schools south of Boston, with the most recent case last week. The outbreak prompted administrators to take preventive measures against the potentially dangerous bacterial infection, which is far more common in nursing homes and hospitals.

"The key . . . is prevention, practicing some basic hygiene, and good wound care," said Donna Rheaume, spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Health. "I can tell you, we have seen an increase in both hospital- and community-acquired MRSA, so we're stressing prevention."

While healthy people normally make a full recovery with treatment, MRSA is believed to have been responsible last month for the deaths of a Virginia high school student, Rheaume said. New York state health officials also believe it caused the death of a New York City middle school student last month.

The cases reported in south-of-Boston schools have had a more fortunate outcome; all the affected students have recovered.

Silver Lake Regional High School in Kingston had two cases reported last month. The first appeared on the arm and back of a boy, according to Superintendent John Tuffy. A school nurse spotted it when the student asked her for a Band-Aid. The second student's case was reported by a parent of a girl who, principal Richard Kelley said, probably contracted it in the summer.

Both students are clear of the infection and are back in school, Kelley said.

"Fortunately, it is spread by contact rather than being airborne, which helps," Tuffy said. "We've been trading phone calls" with other school districts. "All of us have become more educated about this."

Tuffy said the district made calls to parents via its automatic phone system, notifying them of the cases, and sent home a fact sheet on the bacteria. Silver Lake High School students emptied all lockers in the gym area last Friday, and custodians sanitized that area, along with the cafeteria, nurse's office, restrooms, hallways, and some classrooms over the weekend.

A student who attends evening school at Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School was diagnosed with MRSA last week. The classrooms used for night classes, as well as the locker room and gym equipment, were immediately cleaned and disinfected, according to Marie Fahey, the school district's nurse. Fahey sent a letter notifying all high school parents of the incident and subsequent cleanup. She also advised parents to check the Department of Public Health website (mass.gov/dph) for more information.

MRSA infections appear on the skin as pustules or boils, which often are red, swollen, and painful. They most often affect areas of previous cuts or abrasions. Almost all MRSA skin infections can be effectively treated, some with antibiotics and some without.

Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School in Easton had a single case of MRSA in a student athlete in September. Principal David Wheeler said it was diagnosed by the student's doctor. Everything at the school was disinfected.

"We use standard universal precautions for blood-borne pathogens anyway," Wheeler said. "We're watching what other schools are doing, and if it's a good idea, we grab it."

In Wareham, a school official said the high school had received a call from a parent reporting a case of MRSA. The student is back at school, the official said, but has not provided further medical documentation of MRSA infection. Superintendent James Collins is emphatic that the school has no "documented" MRSA cases so far, but precautions are being taken.

"The problem with this is it can be anywhere at any time," Collins said. "We have hand sanitizers in all our classrooms. Custodians are washing the doorknobs and handrails with a bleach solution. Normally we don't do this until flu season. Maybe it will cut down on the number of cases of flu we have this year."

It is hard to get a definitive case count for area schools, because MRSA incidents are not reportable to state health authorities.

According to Rheaume, statistics showed there were 18,000 deaths nationwide related to MRSA infection in 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available. In Massachusetts, there were about 2,500 known cases of the virus that year, and 400 to 500 deaths. "Most of those were elderly in long-term care facilities," she said.

Hanover Schools Superintendent Kristine Nash said her system has no problems, perhaps because students already practice care.

"When you look at how it's spread, a lot of it is about good hygiene, particularly good hand hygiene," Nash said. "We have life-threatening allergies among the students, so we stress hand-washing at a very conscientious level. It's the way we operate, and we've had no problems."

Christine Wallgren can be reached at CLWallgren@aol.com.