If you are a parent and have not heard of the drug-resistant form of staph known as MRSA running through the school systems of America, then you have been hiding under a rock! The story really got going when a student from the school district The Bull himself graduated from, (Bedford County, VA.), died as this super-bug ravaged his body. This victim was 17-year-old Ashton Bonds, a student at the Staunton River High School. A tragedy to be sure, but could it have been prevented?
Sources to The Bull have informed me that in one Pensacola, FL inner-city school there is an employee (non-teacher position)that is a carrier of MRSA who is being actively treated for the disease and has at least four open ‘colonies’ of the bacteria on the body at this moment, is still working with the students – every day – even though the school principal was informed the moment that the said employee was diagnosed! The school official actually made the comment, (as quoted to The Bull), that the employee should “just keep this information between us“. Another comment made by a school system employee recently was that “this entire staph thing is just being blown all out of proportion“. (Said employee was told by a doctor that hospitalization may soon be required.)
Excuse the heck outta me! Children are dying! “Out of proportion“? When it comes to the health and welfare of my kids, nothing concerning staph is out of proportion! The Bull wants to know ALL! Is this an example of how our school systems feel about the health of our children? How many school principals are keeping such secrets How many kids are now infected, or possibly condemned to death, by this one principal’s lack of concern? There are all kinds of staph. I’ll assume. for the sake of argument, the principal thinks this employee is mistaken. Let’s further assume for a moment that someone would say they have MRSA, but don’t actually have the disease. Why would you take the risk?
Frankly, if this kind of active cover-up is going on in the school system of Pensacola, FL, then what are the chances of the same kind of crime vs. humanity happening here in Mobile, AL? What about your school system, Dear Reader? Speaking of Pensacola, when will that school district over there do the right thing and clean their schools? Or is it, Pensacola, simply that your inner city kids are not worth the effort and expense? Here’s a hint: What starts in the inner city doesn’t necessarily stay in the inner city. Wake up, Pensacola! Wake up, America!
This has been going on for a while it seems. School systems all over the Nation are reporting outbreaks, schools are being closed for cleaning everywhere. Already we have had school closures in nearby communities and confirmed cases this bug in the Spanish Fort, AL schools, and that is just across Mobile Bay. On October 12th 11-year-old Shae Keirnan of Vancleave, MS died of this disease. That’s too close to home.
Mobile, it seems, is surrounded.
May the Gods watch over our children. After all, our school systems won’t…
Addendum: The above mentioned school employee had reportedly made the condition known to the local health department. According to the employees’ statement, the Florida Health Dept was less than concerned.
Why am I not surprised? Yes, staph is everywhere. MRSA, however, is not and The Bull would like to keep it that way.
***
MRSA Info.
First off, not all staph is MRSA! Staph is everywhere. There is no escaping it. Most of the time it is just another of the wee bugs colonizing our homes and our skin. However, there are strains of the bacteria that given a chance will indeed wreck your day. This particular bug goes far beyond that and is a real danger to your life and the lives of your children.
What is MRSA anyway?
According to Wikipedia, “Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is also known as oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ORSA), multiple-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, CA-MRSA (community-acquired MRSA) and HA-MRSA (hospital-acquired MRSA). It is a biological agent responsible for difficult-to-treat infections in humans. (MSSA is Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus.)
How bad is this staph infection anyway?
Do NOT allow yourself be lulled by the thought that the death of Ashton was an isolated incident. Far from it! According to a study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a government study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this month, estimated that more than 90,000 Americans suffered from MRSA in 2005, including 18,650 deaths. The researchers do not know if the MRSA strain was the cause in all cases.
How can you catch this bug?
It can be as simple as a touch.
Handshakes, kisses, any skin-to-skin contact with a person with open wounds containing the bacteria. My sources tell me that it can be caught from a toilet seat. (Note to Ladies: Practice ‘hovering’ when you pee…) Again, according to Wikipedia, S. aureus most commonly colonizes the nostrils, although the respiratory tract, open wounds, intravenous catheters, and urinary tract are also potential sites for infection. Healthy individuals may carry MRSA asymptomatically for periods ranging from a few weeks to many years. Patients with compromised immune systems are at a significantly greater risk of symptomatic secondary infection.
What does it look like? How can I tell if my child is infected?
Most, but not all, people who are symptomatic present with painful pus-filled boils and occasionally with rashes. Check your kids – and yourself – for anything looking like a pimple that doesn’t seem to go away or becomes very inflamed. Don’t worry about being thought an annoyance. If something doesn’t look or feel right, see your doctor immediately!
How can MRSA be treated?
“CA-MRSA, (commonly aquired MRSA), often results in abscess formation that requires incision and drainage. Before the spread of MRSA into the community, abscesses were not considered contagious because it was assumed that infection required violation of skin integrity and the introduction of staphylococci from normal skin colonization. However, newly emerging CA-MRSA is transmissible (similar, but with very important differences) from hospital-acquired MRSA. CA-MRSA is less likely than other forms of MRSA to cause cellulitis.
“Both CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA are resistant to traditional anti-staphylococcal beta-lactam antibiotics, such as cephalexin. CA-MRSA has a greater spectrum of antimicrobial susceptibility, including to sulfa drugs, tetracyclines, and clindamycin. HA-MRSA is resistant even to these antibiotics and often is susceptible only to vancomycin. Newer drugs, such as linezolid (belonging to the newer oxazolidinones class), may be effective against both CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA.
“Vancomycin and teicoplanin are glycopeptide antibiotics used to treat MRSA infections.” (Wikipedia)
A new type of antibiotic, called platensimycin, and had demonstrated its successful use against MRSA. Don’t hold your breath, though… The FDA is years away from allowing this life saver to be used. (Gotta protect the pharmaceuticals companies from lawsuits, you know… 
)
How can I prevent this from happening to me and/or my family?
Simple. CLEAN! MRSA can survive on surfaces and fabrics, including clothing, curtains, furniture and on hard surfaces like countertops, doorknobs, toilet seats and flush handles. Simply put, it is where you are. The very best way to disinfect is to use vaporizing sanitizers, however that is rather specialized equipment. The best thing to do is to remember K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Clean every surface possible. Wash your hands – often! And don’t forget the hand sanitizer! Alcohol has proven to be very effective in killing staph on surfaces. Drive the idea of personal hygiene into your kids. It just might save their lives.
***
The Bull sincerely hopes that this post will force the hands of those in charge of our children to work harder and smarter to keep them safe from such disease. I also hope to see a full investigation of the Pensacola, FL school system. That kind of indifference is completely unacceptable, if not criminal. 
Bull, out. 
