School districts around the county are taking measures to educate students and parents after a student at Buckeye High School contracted a strain of staph infection that is resistant to most antibiotics.

Unlike regular staph infections, the bacterial infection the Buckeye High student contracted is a special strain — methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA — that has recently infected several students in the region, said Dr. Lisa Klatka, medical epidemiologist with the Medina County Health Department.

The school sent out a letter to parents letting them know about MRSA and ways to prevent it and other staph infections from spreading to other students.

“Controlling communicable illnesses like Staph is based on prompt identification and appropriate treatment. This student’s parents made us aware of this case at the onset and the child is being treated. We wanted to share basic health information to help reduce the risk of acquiring these infections. Every student must continue to perform daily practices of good hygiene and frequent hand washing. Our custodial staff at all of our schools will continue cleaning and disinfecting with the recommended cleaning materials,” the letter says.

“Staph is a common infection,” said Lori Hogue, school health supervisor at Medina General Hospital. “MRSA does respond to oral antibiotics.”

Two cases of non-MRSA skin infections were reported at Cloverleaf middle and high schools this week.

On Wednesday, Cloverleaf Superintendent Bruce Hulme sent out a letter saying there were no cases after rumors started circulating about multiple student infections at the high school.

Klatka said the health department is working with school nurses to get more information out about staph infections and what to watch out for.

The most common way to contract MRSA is by contact with an infected surface that makes its way through an opening in the skin, she said, making athletes in sports such as wrestling and football especially vulnerable to infection.

It is advised that anyone who has a wound that cannot be covered by a bandage should avoid participating in athletic activities, Klatka said.

Until recently, MRSA was almost always contracted by hospital patients, but the infected high school students have a different strain that is more responsive to antibiotics, Hogue said.

The only way to determine if a cut is a staph infection is by taking a culture of the area, but infected skin may possibly look like a pimple that is oozing liquid or pus and is not getting any better over time.

“Some people mistake it for a spider bite,” Hogue said. “It is generally an area that is not improving.”

Someone with a MRSA infection can attend school if the infected area is properly covered, she said.

Disinfecting commonly touched surfaces at schools such as doorknobs and countertops along with frequent hand-washing are the best ways to prevent MRSA from spreading.

At Medina City Schools, restrooms and locker rooms are cleaned and sanitized daily and cafeteria tables are cleaned multiple times a day with disinfectant, Jeanne Hurt, communications coordinator for the school district, said in an e-mail.

The district is also working on a plan to get all locker room lockers emptied by students on a more regular basis so they can be disinfected. No infections have been reported at any of the district’s schools, she said.

For information about MRSA, the Ohio Department of Health has an informational Web site at www.odh.ohio.gov/alerts/mrsa1.aspx.

Staff Writer Cassandra Shofar contributed to this report.

Ways to avoid infection
- Wash your hands often or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Open cuts or wounds should be kept clean and covered.
- Do not touch other people’s cuts or bandages.
- Do not share personal items.
- Students with fevers should not attend school.
Source: Lori Hogue, Medina General Hospital