A student athlete at George Rogers Clark High School has been diagnosed with a confirmed case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.
Clark County Superintendent Elaine Farris said school officials were notified Wednesday that the student has a doctor-confirmed case of MRSA.
The school district notified parents by letter Wednesday about the MRSA case, Farris said.
“We were made aware Wednesday of a confirmed MRSA diagnosis of a GRC student athlete. A letter informing parents about the diagnosis and a MRSA fact sheet were given to each student to take home yesterday afternoon,” Farris said today. “As always, we want to keep our parents and community informed, as well as assured, that we are taking all measures necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of each student and staff member in our school district.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics called beta-lactams and frequently causes skin infections. Most staph and MRSA infections are treatable with antibiotics.
Common signs of a skin infection include redness, warmth, swelling and tenderness. Often a MRSA infection will look like a spider bite, boil, abscess or turf burn. If it is left untreated it could progress into a more serious illness.
MRSA or staph infections are spread through physical contact or touching surfaces the infection has come in contact with such as sports equipment, tables, lockers and desks.
School personnel began immediate cleaning and sanitizing Wednesday of all areas of the school and athletic facilities that the student had contact with, Farris said.
Clark County Health Director Scott Lockard said that although they were not required to do so, school district officials contacted his department and it is assisting the district in getting information to parents.
“MRSA is not a reportable disease, however the school contacted us and we have been working closely with them to make sure they have all the information available for parents and students and school personnel,” Lockard said. “Our school nursing supervisor, Anne Happon, has been in close contact with the school and is available for anyone who has any questions about MRSA.”
In previous years, there were multiple MRSA cases reported around the state, but Lockard said there have not been many cases reported thus far this year.
Anyone with questions about MRSA or precautions to take can call Happon at the Health Department at 744-4482.
Contact Bob Flynn at bflynn@winchestersun.com.
