[indigo girl]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/condi....ap/index.html

The boy that died was in Bedford, but other schools that were closed were in Rappahannock, Page, and Warren Counties in VA and 5 (I think) counties in MD. All of these schools had cases, including children who went into surgery.

Originally Posted by www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/10/16/staph.death.ap/index.html

(hat tip PFI/roo/saddletramp)

BEDFORD, Virginia (AP) -- A high school student who was hospitalized for more than a week with an antibiotic-resistant staph infection has died, and officials shut down 21 schools for cleaning to keep the illness from spreading.

He was sent home after doctors ruled out appendicitis, but was readmitted three days later and transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Last week doctors diagnosed an MRSA infection that had spread to Ashton's kidneys, liver, lungs and the muscles around his heart.

Early Thursday morning, Ashton had to be sedated and put on a ventilator. He was about to undergo surgery to drain the infection from his lungs when doctors detected a blood clot near his heart. Bonds said the clot was inoperable.

[psalm]

Thanks for the info. I hope there is a thorough update on this, such as if the student had visited someone in the hospital recently, had any exposure to open wounds, is immunocompromised in any way, cleanliness at home and school, lifestyle, etc. to see where he had contact with MRSA. His family is in my prayers.

[oramar]

Western Pa struggling with community outbreak also but no deaths.

[luvschoolnursing]

Unfortunately it's not confined to hospitals anymore. They're calling it community acquired MRSA or caMRSA. I still have students whose parents are insisting they be put on antibiotics before cultures are back for draining wounds. Not giant wounds mind you but cuts on knees, arms. And the doctors are giving them. Wonder if we will learn our lesson about antibiotic overuse while we have SOME drugs that still kill it.

[Patient_Care_Asst]

MRSA is not only acquired at hospitals and/or institutions like schools. Many "clean and sanitary" people have acquired it right at home.

You can acquire MRSA bacteria at the shopping mall for that matter.

Another good reason Nurses should wear their scrubs while shopping at the mall I suppose.

My Best.

[fmrnicumom]

Wow. Until recently I had no idea MRSA could be acquired outside the hospital. (still a prenursing student) My brother had it in a wound on his arm and it took months to get rid of it. This is why I'm not one of those parents asking for anitbiotics for everything. If they are indeed necessary, that's one thing, but too often they are not used properly. It's scary.

Tiffany

[mamunsey]

Schools in Virginia that are boarding West Virginia are having an outbreak of MRSA as well, no deaths, but several cases are athletes!

[Suesquatch]

We know that bacteria can "borrow" genetic material from one another, right? Well, imagine a cross between VRE and MRSA. Two patients on the floor ystdy who had one or the other. My idiot charge gave me both and created the perfect vector for this. I did mention it to the infection control nurse. As I left, the nurse coming on had - you guessed it - both patients.

[Jolie]

Originally Posted by mamunsey

Schools in Virginia that are boarding West Virginia are having an outbreak of MRSA as well, no deaths, but several cases are athletes!

That's not a surprise. Outside of the hospital, one of the settings most commonly implicated for the transmission of MRSA is athletic facilities. Be careful to clean work-out equipment before and after use, not to sit on common benches, and not to share towels or other personal items such as razors. That sounds gross to us, but high-school age kids probably don't think much about it.

[mamunsey]

We have had up to 10 cases at our local high school, Thankfully only 1 of those has spread to the middle school where I work. But with all of this on the national news, the teachers are realizing how dangerous MRSA can be and are starting to take more personal precautions and are now cleaning their own classrooms, even though the custodians are cleaning better as well.