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</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="100%">http://www.eastvalleynews.com/appeal/article.cfm?i=6912
Staphylococcus outbreak has teachers, students brushing up on hand-washing techniques
BY ANGELINA MORGAN
Appeal Tribune
February 15
SILVERTON ? The state health department inspected Silverton High School Thursday after 12 wrestlers contracted a mix of bacterial staphylococcus infections and viral herpes.
Staff and students have since disinfected the entire school and are taking extra precautions to prevent further spread, principal Jodi Drescher said.
Every classroom, file cabinet and piece of gym equipment was wiped with disinfectant.
?Teachers did their own spaces right down to keyboards and door handles,? Drescher said. ?We decided it was better to be safe than sorry.?
The school also sent letters home with students and mailed them to families.
The high school called for assistance from the state health department shortly after the outbreak.
Dr. Clinton Haley, a medical epidemiologist at Oregon Health Services in Portland, said the school was doing everything it should be and coaches were following the Oregon School Activities Association minimal criteria for bacterial infections.
?We were very impressed,? he said. ?The coach was very cooperative and very aware and up on his knowledge of the rules.?
Haley said infections are not uncommon especially in sports where there is close contact.
?While mat cleanliness and hand washing are important, the key to preventing these infections is early detection of these lesions,? Haley said. ?We need to raise awareness about early detection of skin infections among athletes and get them the appropriate treatment.?
Silverton High School Athletic Director Terry Stahel has been watching skin diseases infect wrestling mats throughout the state this season as regional competitions got under way and the state tournament is approaching.
?It?s nothing totally new,? Stahel said. ?But it sort of hit us harder this year than it ever has.?
Eleven of the 12 students who were infected wrestled Friday and Saturday at the Pac 9 Conference district meet at Tualatin with a clean bill of health.
?If anything, the students have learned the importance of going back to soap and water,? Stahel said. ?It was sort of a wake-up call for the student body.?
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BY ANGELINA MORGAN
Appeal Tribune
February 15
SILVERTON ? The state health department inspected Silverton High School Thursday after 12 wrestlers contracted a mix of bacterial staphylococcus infections and viral herpes.
Staff and students have since disinfected the entire school and are taking extra precautions to prevent further spread, principal Jodi Drescher said.
Every classroom, file cabinet and piece of gym equipment was wiped with disinfectant.
?Teachers did their own spaces right down to keyboards and door handles,? Drescher said. ?We decided it was better to be safe than sorry.?
The school also sent letters home with students and mailed them to families.
The high school called for assistance from the state health department shortly after the outbreak.
Dr. Clinton Haley, a medical epidemiologist at Oregon Health Services in Portland, said the school was doing everything it should be and coaches were following the Oregon School Activities Association minimal criteria for bacterial infections.
?We were very impressed,? he said. ?The coach was very cooperative and very aware and up on his knowledge of the rules.?
Haley said infections are not uncommon especially in sports where there is close contact.
?While mat cleanliness and hand washing are important, the key to preventing these infections is early detection of these lesions,? Haley said. ?We need to raise awareness about early detection of skin infections among athletes and get them the appropriate treatment.?
Silverton High School Athletic Director Terry Stahel has been watching skin diseases infect wrestling mats throughout the state this season as regional competitions got under way and the state tournament is approaching.
?It?s nothing totally new,? Stahel said. ?But it sort of hit us harder this year than it ever has.?
Eleven of the 12 students who were infected wrestled Friday and Saturday at the Pac 9 Conference district meet at Tualatin with a clean bill of health.
?If anything, the students have learned the importance of going back to soap and water,? Stahel said. ?It was sort of a wake-up call for the student body.?
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