U.S. county to close all schools amid "superbug" fears

[Treyfish]

<TABLE class=lan18 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=hei22 vAlign=bottom height=25>U.S. county to close all schools amid "superbug" fears
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- A county in Kentucky will close all of its 23 schools Monday after one student was diagnosed with the drug-resistant MRSA "superbug" bacteria, CNN reported Saturday.

Pike County superintendent of schools Roger Wagner said he made the decision to wage war on the bacteria by disinfecting virtually everything, according to the report.
About 10,300 students will be affected by the shutdown, Wagner said.
He named classrooms, restrooms, cafeterias, hallways, locker rooms, buses, and even outdoor areas such as playgrounds and sports fields as areas that would be swabbed down.
"We're not closing schools because there's been a large number of breakouts, but as a preventative measure," he added.
A student in the county was diagnosed in September with MRSA. Known as the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),the bacteria can be treated with other antibiotics. But it is potentially deadly if left untreated. A government report estimates that 90,000 Americans may contract MRSA each year. :tiphat:

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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-10/28/content_6958180.htm

 

[Thornton]

Re: U.S. county to close all schools amid "superbug" fears

The CDC web site stresses the importance of good hygiene as a standard practice.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca.html
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/MRSAinSchools/#q5

Should the school be closed to be cleaned or disinfected when an MRSA infection occurs?
? Covering infections will greatly reduce the risks of surfaces becoming contaminated with MRSA. In general it is not necessary to close schools to "disinfect" them when MRSA infections occur. MRSA skin infections are transmitted primarily by skin-to-skin contact and contact with surfaces that have come into contact with someone else's infection.

? When MRSA skin infections occur, cleaning and disinfection should be performed on surfaces that are likely to contact uncovered or poorly covered infections.

? Cleaning surfaces with detergent-based cleaners or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered disinfectants is effective at removing MRSA from the environment.

? It is important to read the instruction labels on all cleaners to make sure they are used safely and appropriately.

? Environmental cleaners and disinfectants should not be used to treat infections.

? The EPA provides a list of EPA-registered products effective against MRSA: http://epa.gov/oppad001/chemregindex.htm

Notice with MRSA we are talking literally about a few cases in any one area.
Once we confront the initial pandemic outbreak, we must be able to maintain operations in spite of risk to large segments of the community.
JT

 

[Farmer]

Re: U.S. county to close all schools amid "superbug" fears

"We're not closing schools because there's been a large number of breakouts, but as a preventative measure," he added.

I'm sorry but this news article drives me crazy. Those fomites will be recontaminated as soon as they let the people back in the school! My spouse made the astute observation that this was a lawyer-prompted move. Has the appearance of actually addressing the problem but is much less expensive than actually instituting mandatory hygiene measures or the screening of potential carriers...