Students Diagnosed With MRSA at Over 20 Illinois Schools

Posted on October 27, 2007
Leave a Comment

Note: Periodic updates will be added to the bottom of this article.
Last updated on November 30, 2007.

Schools in the Chicago area and throughout the state of Illinois have reported cases of drug-resistant staph infections this month. Four American children died from the superbug methicilllin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in October 2007, prompting heightened awareness of the the virulent infection. While state health officials have assured the public that an epidemic is not present in the state, parents and school officials have grown increasingly concerned about the potentially lethal bacteria.

Illinois schools that have students with confirmed or suspected cases of MRSA this month include:

Periodic updates to this list will be added at the bottom of this article.
Some of the schools informed parents of more than one case of MRSA, and many of the school buildings were closed temporarily to undergo thorough disinfection. Although Illinois schools are not required to notify parents if a local student is diagnosed with MRSA, most of the above schools communicated with families about the new superbug cases in a timely manner. Many schools directed families to the Illinois Department of Health’s Basic Hygiene Guidelines for the Prevention of Staphylococcal Infections in Schools.

The state of Illinois is a national leader on MRSA-related legislation. In April 2007, Illinois became the first state in the nation to require hospitals to screen incoming patients for MRSA. However, medical professionals are not required to report individual cases of MRSA to the state, so there are no accurate and comprehensive statistics on the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant staph in Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Public Health may implement the mandatory reporting of MRSA clusters of three or more cases by 2008.

Update, 10/27/07:

Update, 10/28/07:

Update, 11/1/07:

Update, 11/4/07:

Update, 11/6/07:

Update, 11/9/07:

Update, 11/13/07:

Update, 11/15/07:

Update: 11/19/07:

Update, 11/30/07:

© Copyright 2007, Staph News | Filed Under Illinois, MRSA, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Prevention of Staph Infections, Staph Statistics, community-acquired MRSA

Comments

Leave a Reply