Crystal
10-20-2007, 09:19 AM
Staph cases rise in region
Guilderland, Watervliet schools report stubborn infections in students
By CATHLEEN F. CROWLEY, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Saturday, October 20, 2007
Two more Capital Region schools have confirmed cases of a potentially deadly staph infection resistant to antibiotics.
Guilderland High School and Watervliet Elementary School became the latest Capital Region schools Friday to report at least one case each of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
News about MRSA filled the headlines this week after scattered cases showed up in schools, including one death in Virginia, and a U.S. Centers for Disease Control study on the drug-resistant infection.
Marie Eoff, a school nurse at Guilderland's Westmere Elementary School for six years, said she's never seen a local school-based case before.
"It's not the norm," she said.
Donna Kent, a registered nurse and infection control coordinator at Albany Medical Center said, "We've have seen cases of community-acquired MRSA for years but it's likely that it is increasing in incidence, though I also think there is much more attention given to it."
A CDC report released this week said the number of MRSA cases in the U.S. tripled between 2000 and 2005 and infect 32 out of every 100,000 people.
MRSA is a staph infection that has developed a resistance to drugs. The form of MRSA most often found in the community appears as a skin infection and responds more readily to antibiotics than the more potent MRSA infections found in hospitals, said Dr. Sarah Elmendorf, Albany Med's hospital epidemiologist and an infectious disease specialist.
Why so many cases of MRSA? The answer is antibiotics.
Their overuse is responsible for the rise in drug-resistant infections, according to the CDC. Every time a person takes an antibiotic, it kills off some bacteria but leaves behind the strongest, drug-resistant bacteria. These organisms flourish.
The average adult has been through multiple courses of antibiotics over his or her life span for all kinds of ailments, such as childhood ear infections, adolescent strep throats and adult sinus infections.
In response, the medical community in recent years has become more restrictive and creative with antibiotics. For example, a person with a tooth infection may now be treated with an antibiotic capsule inserted at the site if the infection instead of pills.
Guilderland and Watervliet join Ballston Spa and Burnt-Hills Ballston Lake among local school districts managing cases of MRSA. The districts sent letters home to parents on Friday informing them of the cases and cleaning efforts to prevent the spread of MRSA.
Both students have already returned to school.
The risk of infection is greater for student-athletes because of their increased likelihood of open cuts and skin-to-skin contact.
A Guilderland High School football game was canceled on Friday afternoon, but school officials said the reason was a forecast for inclement weather, not MRSA.
The Guilderland student with the infection is not a member of a school sports team.
Eoff, who is co-president of the Capital Region School Nurses Association, said there is no need to panic.
"Bacteria is bacteria. We pass it, whether its the common cold or flu," she said. "We can't live in a bubble."
Hand washing, she said, is the best way to avoid an infection.
Guilderland, Watervliet schools report stubborn infections in students
By CATHLEEN F. CROWLEY, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Saturday, October 20, 2007
Two more Capital Region schools have confirmed cases of a potentially deadly staph infection resistant to antibiotics.
Guilderland High School and Watervliet Elementary School became the latest Capital Region schools Friday to report at least one case each of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
News about MRSA filled the headlines this week after scattered cases showed up in schools, including one death in Virginia, and a U.S. Centers for Disease Control study on the drug-resistant infection.
Marie Eoff, a school nurse at Guilderland's Westmere Elementary School for six years, said she's never seen a local school-based case before.
"It's not the norm," she said.
Donna Kent, a registered nurse and infection control coordinator at Albany Medical Center said, "We've have seen cases of community-acquired MRSA for years but it's likely that it is increasing in incidence, though I also think there is much more attention given to it."
A CDC report released this week said the number of MRSA cases in the U.S. tripled between 2000 and 2005 and infect 32 out of every 100,000 people.
MRSA is a staph infection that has developed a resistance to drugs. The form of MRSA most often found in the community appears as a skin infection and responds more readily to antibiotics than the more potent MRSA infections found in hospitals, said Dr. Sarah Elmendorf, Albany Med's hospital epidemiologist and an infectious disease specialist.
Why so many cases of MRSA? The answer is antibiotics.
Their overuse is responsible for the rise in drug-resistant infections, according to the CDC. Every time a person takes an antibiotic, it kills off some bacteria but leaves behind the strongest, drug-resistant bacteria. These organisms flourish.
The average adult has been through multiple courses of antibiotics over his or her life span for all kinds of ailments, such as childhood ear infections, adolescent strep throats and adult sinus infections.
In response, the medical community in recent years has become more restrictive and creative with antibiotics. For example, a person with a tooth infection may now be treated with an antibiotic capsule inserted at the site if the infection instead of pills.
Guilderland and Watervliet join Ballston Spa and Burnt-Hills Ballston Lake among local school districts managing cases of MRSA. The districts sent letters home to parents on Friday informing them of the cases and cleaning efforts to prevent the spread of MRSA.
Both students have already returned to school.
The risk of infection is greater for student-athletes because of their increased likelihood of open cuts and skin-to-skin contact.
A Guilderland High School football game was canceled on Friday afternoon, but school officials said the reason was a forecast for inclement weather, not MRSA.
The Guilderland student with the infection is not a member of a school sports team.
Eoff, who is co-president of the Capital Region School Nurses Association, said there is no need to panic.
"Bacteria is bacteria. We pass it, whether its the common cold or flu," she said. "We can't live in a bubble."
Hand washing, she said, is the best way to avoid an infection.