MRSA in Schools - Hand Washing Part II

There are many troubles with rumors. They grow, scare, and transform. I've also found they always possess at least a kernel of truth.

The trick is determining which part is the truth.

I posted earlier about a note going home to parents of HS students related to hand washing coupled with a rumor regarding a staph based infection (read it here).

I've since learned that one HS parent was told the NASD wouldn't confirm or deny a student was diagnosed with MRSA, a staph based infection. The same parent was told no further information could be disclosed due to privacy/confidentiality issues.

Another parent informed me that a MS student was told in class about MRSA and that the teacher stated a Nazareth HS student had contracted it.

Finally, I was informed that administration was unable to take calls this afternoon.

The Mayo Clinic web site has this to say about MRSA.

The Center for Disease Control's web site identifies MRSA as the 2nd most popular topic after the California wildfires - read it here.

A search of MRSA on the Express-Times web site listed the following recent articles (view full list):

• Bangor Area School Scrubbed after MRSA Scare (10/25/07)
• Schools asked to report MRSA (10/24/07)
• MRSA in the House (10/23/07)
• Message of MRSA: Take Precautions (10/23/07)
• Student Infected with staph (10/23/07)
  

And from the Morning Call (view all results):

• Staph Screening May Wipe Out Germ (10/24/07)
• Officials: MRSA Should Be Reported (10/21/07)
• Deaths from Superbug Top Those from AIDS (10/17/07)