Local Schools Emphasize Cleanliness to Stop Staph: School Officials Spotlight Sanitizing in an Effor

Oct 17, 07:37 AM

Current Headlines: By Cathy Grimes, Daily Press, Newport News, Va.

Oct. 17--At least three local cases of treatment-resistant bacterial infections and the death of a Bedford County high school student attributed to the same infection have highlighted the need to be clean at area schools.

The Roanoke Times reported that Ashton Bonds, a Staunton River High School senior, died Monday night after he was hospitalized for more than a week with a bacterial infection. The Bedford County school district closed its 21 schools today to disinfect them.

Bonds was diagnosed with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a strain of bacteria that is much tougher to treat than more common staph, or Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. MRSA, pronounced mersa, does not respond to penicillin and similar antibiotics and poses a serious risk to young children, the elderly and people with depressed immune systems. But health officials say it is treatable with drugs other than penicillin and related antibiotics.

Locally, students from Bruton High School in York, Lafayette High School in Williamsburg-James City and Menchville High School in Newport News have been diagnosed with MRSA. At least four other Newport News students also reported staph infections. Several cases of students infected with the treatment-resistant bacteria have been reported in Virginia and across the nation.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Billy Cannaday is sending out a memo to school district superintendents urging them to talk with their local health departments whether or not the district has a reported infection.

"Those conversations have to take place," said state department of education spokesman Charles Pyle.

Almost everyone carries staph bacteria and it is the most common cause of skin infections in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The infections are spread most often through skin contact, but the bacteria can live on surfaces like locker benches and towels.

According to the CDC's most recent study, reported in the Oct. 17 volume of the Journal of the American Medical Association, MRSA occurs most often in hospitals and other medical care facilities. In 2005, the rate of community-associated MRSA infections, those that happen outside the health care field, was 4.6 per 100,000 people. Such cases occur more often in schools. Athletes are particularly susceptible.

The CDC recommends hand washing, covering open wounds and cleaning shared spaces as the most effective ways to prevent infection.

Several schools, including Menchville High, have closed shared athletic areas for disinfection, but Pyle said a single cleaning is not enough.

"Closing and sanitizing a school is not going to control this because the students will bring it back in the next day," Pyle said. "The (Virginia Department of Health) said they need to disinfect daily."

Hampton City Schools, which have no reported staph infection cases, clean and disinfect weight rooms and locker rooms daily with sanitizing formulas, said district spokeswoman Ann Stephens. The district is sending home fliers with all students explaining how to prevent staph infections. Stephens said the district health services and athletics departments are developing a written process explaining cleaning procedures in locker rooms and other common athletic facilities. Schools are posting more signs encouraging students and staff to frequently wash their hands.

Stephens said the district had previously scheduled a Nov. 6 MRSA training workshop for the nursing staff but has expanded it to include athletic directors, health and P.E. teachers and coaches.

Poquoson City Schools also have no reported staph infections, but officials are reviewing cleaning procedures and thinking about adding more waterless hand-cleaner dispensers in schools. Superintendent Jonathan Lewis said staff are thinking about shared spaces beyond locker rooms and athletic facilities. Students also share desks and keyboards.

The York County school district is disinfecting all the athletic facilities at its middle and high schools. The process began Tuesday. District spokeswoman Betsy Overkamp-Smith said the district is using cleaners designed to kill MRSA bacteria and will contact the health department for instructions on further cleaning procedures. Newport News closed Menchville High's common athletic facilities and disinfected them over the weekend with an antiseptic that kills staph bacteria, said district spokeswoman Michelle Morgan Price. The school has placed antiseptic wipes in the weight room and other common areas as well. Newport News sent home letters to Menchville parents explaining how to prevent infections with hand-washing and other cleanliness measures, like not sharing towels and equipment.

Isle of Wight County schools officials have been checking with the county health department and local physicians on reports of staph cases, said district spokeswoman Katherine Goff. So far, the district has no reported cases. The district has stuck to its routine of wiping down desks and countertops at schools daily and ensuring that students sanitize their hands before eating.

"For us, it's really going beyond the staph infections," Goff said. "These are things that we're trying to do to reduce influenza and any basic spreading of germs. We're trying to be proactive for all possible contagious situations, not just one as it crops up."

John Hatch, activities director at Gloucester High School, said his staff is following standard cleaning procedures. "We're comfortable -- but there are no assurances to anything," Hatch said. "It comes down to the kids don't use each others equipment, towels. They shower and clean up properly, open wounds are cleaned properly -- something we do anyway. Maybe we'll put more emphasis on it now."

Staff writers Angela Forest, Jon Cawley and Alicia P.Q. Wittmeyer contributed to this story.

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