The Review

Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: News

Media Credit: File Photo Newark High School principal Curtis Bedford said there is a low risk of continued infection.

Newark High School has become one of the latest locations in a recent series of staph infections in Delaware.

According to Curtis Bedford, Newark High School principal, the school was notified of a student's infection on Oct. 21 and precautionary measures were taken.

"I sent a letter out to students, parents and staff alerting them of the situation," Bedford said. "We then notified district office personnel and proceeded to clean all classrooms, lockers and other surfaces the students may have come in contact with."

The student was taken to the hospital, treated and released, he said. While he is unsure of how long the student attended school while contagious, Bedford said the student returned to school on Oct. 23 and the risk for continued infection is low.

"Because of recent news involving staphylococcus infections, we have a lot of information on how to deal with the situation," he said. "Schools have been dealing with it for years, and we are taking the necessary precautions."

The specific strain of the staphylococcus bacteria, dubbed by health officials a "superbug," is known as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and has infected approximately 94,000 people and is associated with approximately 19,000 deaths per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to CNN reports, entire school districts in Kentucky and Virginia have been shut down in order to contain the bacteria and sanitize the buildings. Two deaths were reported in October, both involving students.

Jennifer Wooleyhand, community relations for the Delaware Division of Public Health, said staph bacteria lives in the noses or skin of healthy people and is spread to other parts of the body via epidermal contact.

"Staph infections can cause surgical wound infections, urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections and pneumonia," Wooleyhand said. "These more serious infections occur most frequently among people with weakened immune systems who are admitted to hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities."

Staph infections are typically manifested in boils and pimples around open wounds or sores, she said. MRSA, like other forms of staph, is spread by direct skin-to-skin contact and is nurtured in unclean, crowded environments such as schools.

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