October 18, 2007 A strain of staph aureus (MRSA) that is resistant to the drug methicillin has been reported in a number of high schools in the states of Maryland and Virginia, with health authorities speculating that the infections -- responsible for the death of one student so far -- may result in part from contamination of equipment in locker rooms used by sports teams. Many schools in the affected areas have instituted school-wide cleanings and are informing parents of possible dangers. In a statement October 16, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said methicillin-resistant staph aureua caused more than 94,000 life-threatening infections and nearly 10,000 deaths in the United States in 2005, 85 percent of them associated with health care settings such as hospitals but 15 percent occurring in people without documented health care risk factors. Information about MRSA is available online at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/submenus/sub_mrsa.htm. |
