Staph News » Virginia

Disinfecting Schools May Not Curb the Spread of MRSA

Staph News Editor — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 20:48:39 +0000

Schools across the country have taken steps to disinfect common areas after learning of local staph cases, but sanitizing academic facilities is not likely to help prevent outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant staph, according to Virginia’s state epidemiologist. Dr. Carl Armstong told reporters that although heightened concern about methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is understandable, “emphasis on the environment has been overemphasized.”

“The place where the organism was acquired or where transmission occurred is not necessarily where illness occurs,” Armstrong said. Most cases of MRSA come from person-to-person contact, and thus, good hygiene practices, such as frequent handwashing and keeping wounds clean and covered, are the best defense against contracting MRSA infections.

Virginia MRSA Infections to Be Tracked From Now On

Staph News Editor — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:33:55 +0000

Residents of Virginia and people around the nation are newly aware of the dangers of staph infections following the October 15th death of an otherwise healthy student at Staunton River High School in Moneta, Virginia. Since 17-year-old Ashton Bonds died due to complications from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), citizens and government officials have been increasingly critical of Virginia’s lack of a statewide MRSA monitoring system.

Governor Timothy Kaine is launching a new initiative today that will require pathology labs to notify the state when cases of MRSA are confirmed. The Virginia Department of Health will organize the tracking of MRSA cases throughout the Commonwealth. The new data will allow government officials to respond quickly to outbreaks of the potentially deadly superbug.

Dozens of cases of MRSA have been reported in Virginia in recent weeks, the most recent coming today in Petersburg where the A.P. Hill Elementary School was closed for cleaning after a third grade girl contracted the infection. The school will reopen Thursday morning, and starting Friday, all other district schools will be thoroughly cleaned.

Methicillin-Resistant Staph Infection Claims Life of Ashton Bonds, 17

Staph News Editor — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 06:11:22 +0000

On Monday, October 15, 2007, a 17-year-old Virginia high school senior named Ashton Bonds died of complications from a staph infection known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). The otherwise healthy student at Staunton River High School in Moneta, Virginia struggled with the MRSA infection for about a week before succumbing to the illness after it invaded his kidneys, lungs, liver, and heart muscles.

Shocked and frightened students at Staunton River High School used MySpace bulletins and text messages to organize a rally to ensure that similar tragedies would be prevented in the future. Concerned officials closed all 22 Bedford County schools for cleaning and disinfection.

MRSA is commonly thought to be an infection acquired in hospitals and other medical facilities, however hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) only accounts for 58% of deaths due to methicillin-resistant staph infections. (Source: CNN interview with Pat Mshar, an epidemiologist with the CT Department of Health) The remaining staph infection fatalities result from a staph infection classified as community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA), the same type of infection Ashton Bonds contracted.

Although cases like that of Ashton Bonds have heightened public awareness of staph infections and antibiotic resistance, the medical community has been concerned about MRSA for quite some time. and for good reason. A Journal of the American Medical Association study published on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 indicated that the MRSA death rate in the United States surpassed that of HIV/AIDS in 2005, with an estimated 18,650 Americans succumbing to the invasive and deadly disease that year.

As hundreds gathered at the Promised Land Baptist Church in Moneta, VA on Saturday to mourn the loss of 17-year-old Ashton, his friends and family prayed that his death would not be in vain. Many told reporters that they hope this Virginia tragedy helps to raise national awareness about the dangers of untreated staph infections.