Staph News » New York

Iona College Football Player Nearly Loses Leg to MRSA Infection

Staph News Editor — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:44:33 +0000

An antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection is being blamed for destroying the career of an up-and-coming Iona College football player. Nicholas Zaffarese, 21, contracted the superbug known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the fall of 2005, two years before the highly publicized outbreak that hit Iona College this fall.

Zaffarese, a former defensive lineman for Iona, is seeking unspecified damages from the the New Rochelle, New York college in a suit filed in Westchester County Supreme Court on Monday.

Zaffarese nearly lost his leg during his long recovery from a severe MRSA infection that started with an ingrown hair. Team trainers and coaches dismissed his concerns, Zaffarese told The New York Post, and he eventually required seven surgeries to save his leg. He cites unclean sports equipment and mats shared by all of the players as the cause of the debilitating staph infection that compromised his agility.

Iona College has not released a statement regarding Zaffarese’s allegations and lawsuit.

Death of 12-Year-Old Omar Rivera Exposes Dangers of Misdiagnosing MRSA

Staph News Editor — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:47:28 +0000

Brooklyn middle school student Omar Rivera visited the emergency room at Kings County Hospital two days before his death and was sent home with the allergy medication Benadryl. The 12-year-old boy died on October 14, 2007 and the cause of death was later found to be the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

Omar Rivera was treated for skin lesions at Kings County Hospital after his mother was dissatisfied with the treatment he received at a local clinic, The NY Post reported. The Hospital released the child after giving him Benadryl to treat allergies. A Kings County Hospital spokesperson said Omar did not exhibit symptoms of MRSA when he visited the Hospital, but the facility will be reviewing what other measures could have been taken to accurately diagnose the virulent staph infection when the Riveras visited the ER.

Omar Rivera’s mother has retained the services of attorney Paul Weitz. Weitz believes the Hospital missed signs of the MRSA infection because Omar was not examined or evaluated carefully enough. The boy’s bother is considering filing a lawsuit against Kings County Hospital and the unnamed clinic that first treated Omar Rivera for his lesions.

Omar Rivera was the fourth American child to die from a MRSA-related illness during October. Shae Kiernan, 11, of Mississippi, Ashton Bonds, 17, of Virginia, and Catherine Bentley, 5, of New Hampshire also succumbed to MRSA infections this month. State and federal legislation has been proposed to address the increase in potentially lethal MRSA.

New York Student Omar Rivera, 12, is Fourth American Child this Month to Die from Lethal Superbug MRSA

Staph News Editor — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 04:23:06 +0000

The death of a 12-year-old middle school student in New York on October 14, 2007 is being attributed to the superbug known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Omar Rivera was a seventh grade student at Intermediate School 211 in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. New York City health officials said they had not confirmed that the antibiotic-resistant infection was contracted at the school.

City health officials notified administrators at IS-211 about Omar Rivera’s MRSA infection on October 22 after receiving laboratory confirmation of the infection. Parents at the school were notified on Thursday, October 25.

Officials assured parents that the school had been properly disinfected and urged proper hygiene as the best method of prevention. It is not believed that any other students at the school are infected with the potentially lethal strain of staph.

Omar Rivera is the fourth American youth to die from a MRSA-related illness this month. The other deaths occurred in Virginia, New Hampshire, and Mississippi, and scores of milder infections have been reported throughout the country.