MRSA case confirmed; doctors say risk being overblown

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October 24, 2007

By RANDY GRIFFITH The Tribune-Democrat Wed Oct 24, 2007, 11:59 PM EDT

Remain calm.

That is the message from doctors and school officials following confirmed reports of a local case of drug-resistant staph infection.

“I think this is being blown all out of proportion,” said Dr. Louis Schenfeld, a Johnstown-based infectious disease specialist.

MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, has been around since 1963, Schenfeld said. It usually is confined to a boil that should be lanced by a doctor and then usually goes away on its own.

“Staph is the most common form of skin infection,” he said. “MRSA is the most common type of staph infection.”

For years, MRSA was confined to hospitals. But it began appearing in the general population during the late 1990s and is being seen more outside hospitals and nursing homes.

News of a confirmed infection in a Conemaugh Township High School student brought a deluge of phone calls to the district, Superintendent Joseph DiBartola said.

“We kind of fielded those (calls) to let parents know what had occurred and what we were doing,” DiBartola said. “We put something on the Web site to let the community know what they can do at home and what we are doing.”

Old-fashioned hygiene practices are the best prevention, said Dr. Matthew Masiello, a Johnstown pediatrician.

“We should be doing simple, basic things that prevent any type of illness,” Masiello said.

It starts with frequent, thorough hand-washing and includes treating and protecting all cuts and scrapes. Athletes should sanitize equipment and should not share towels, clothing or personal gear.

It wouldn’t hurt to have significant acne outbreaks examined by a doctor, Masiello said, adding that there is little danger of serious complications.

“There should be absolutely no fear here,” Masiello said.

That was the message Ferndale Area School District teachers and nurses brought to students Tuesday, Superintendent Christine Oldham said.

“We’ve had no cases reported,” Oldham said. “We met with all of the junior high and senior high students today to let them know what they need to look for and how to prevent it.”

Students are being asked to take home clothes, towels and other items from their gym lockers daily for cleaning. Ferndale personnel will perform extra cleaning in locker rooms this weekend.

North Star School District sent similar information to parents through a letter, Superintendent Dennis Leyman said.

Masiello said the extreme public reaction to recent MRSA reports can be attributed to the same health-care philosophy that led to overuse of antibiotics, creating the resistant bugs in the first place.

“We are still in the cure-and-treatment mode,” he said. “The sooner we get on the health-promotion, disease-prevention bandwagon, the less intense these incidents are going to become for us.”

Dr. James Eckenrode, Windber Medical Center’s chief medical officer, also blames mainstream medicine.

“I think we have to stop using antibiotics like they are water for every sore throat and sinus infection,” Eckenrode said.

On the Net

Sources for information on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections:

Conemaugh Township School District: www.ctasd.org

Office of Community Health, Conemaugh Health System: http://communityhealth.conemaugh.org

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov

State Health Department: www.health.state.pa.us

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MRSA case confirmed; doctors say risk being overblown

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