Letter to Parents: MRSA
November 1, 2007
October 31,2007.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Due to the recent media coverage regarding skin infections, this letter is to provide you with factual information about the situation and what it means for our students, parents and staff at New Foundations Charter School. Staphylococcus aureus (or “staph”) bacteria are commonly found on human skin and in nasal passages. Methicillin- resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (or” MRSA”) is a form of staph that has developed some resistance to commonly used antibiotics. All forms of staph, including MRSA, are most commonly transmitted by direct skin- to- skin contact, and introduced into the body through a break in the skin, such as a cut or a scrape. These illnesses are present in our community and have been for years. We’ve all become much more aware of them recently, and this awareness gives us the opportunity to educate ourselves about the risks of infection and how to protect ourselves and our students.
Late yesterday afternoon, our school was informed of a possible case of MRSA. The student is currently under treatment o f a physician. We are taking all the precautionary hygiene measures to clean the school. We are following guidelines set forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and will continue to implement proper hygiene protocol as directed by the Health Department.
Staph is not considered“airborne” bacteria and cannot be spread by sitting in a classroom or being in the same hallway with an infected individual. Most infections are spread by material from another person’s wet or draining infection that gets on a break in someone else’s skin. This is why it is very important to cover any infection with a bandage to help prevent other people from contracting the germs that are in the draining infection. MRSA can occur in people who have had direct skin-to-skin contact with people carrying the bacteria or by touching objects contaminated with MRSA (e.g. clothes, athletic equipment, ,towels or bandages). Symptoms include a wound that is not healing, warmth, redness, oozing of pus, with the sores often mistaken for “spider bites”.
One of the best ways to protect yourself and your child against MRSA and other skin infections is to practice good hand washing and proper hygiene. Also, always cover an exposed wound or cut with a dressing or band-aid. Please notify your child’s pediatrician or family doctor if your child has a suspicious wound that is draining and not healing. If it is found that you student has MRSA or a staph infection (through a positive wound culture), please notify our school nurse so that proper reporting measures to the Pennsylvania Department of Health can be followed.
Most often you doctor will want to culture the wound to identify the germ. Cultures are becoming increasingly more important so the doctor can identify the cause of a wound that is not healing well on its own. Sometimes your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic, but many wounds heal on their own as long as any pus is drained and good hygienic wound care is performed.
If you are interested in obtaining additional information on MRSA, it can be found at the Center for Disease Control website: www.cdc.gov/ and click on the link- MRSA in Schools.
Sincerely,
Paul Stadelberger, CEO
Cheryl Cantwell, RN, CSN School Nurse
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November 1, 2007
October 31,2007.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Due to the recent media coverage regarding skin infections, this letter is to provide you with factual information about the situation and what it means for our students, parents and staff at New Foundations Charter School. Staphylococcus aureus (or “staph”) bacteria are commonly found on human skin and in nasal passages. Methicillin- resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (or” MRSA”) is a form of staph that has developed some resistance to commonly used antibiotics. All forms of staph, including MRSA, are most commonly transmitted by direct skin- to- skin contact, and introduced into the body through a break in the skin, such as a cut or a scrape. These illnesses are present in our community and have been for years. We’ve all become much more aware of them recently, and this awareness gives us the opportunity to educate ourselves about the risks of infection and how to protect ourselves and our students.
Late yesterday afternoon, our school was informed of a possible case of MRSA. The student is currently under treatment o f a physician. We are taking all the precautionary hygiene measures to clean the school. We are following guidelines set forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and will continue to implement proper hygiene protocol as directed by the Health Department.
Staph is not considered“airborne” bacteria and cannot be spread by sitting in a classroom or being in the same hallway with an infected individual. Most infections are spread by material from another person’s wet or draining infection that gets on a break in someone else’s skin. This is why it is very important to cover any infection with a bandage to help prevent other people from contracting the germs that are in the draining infection. MRSA can occur in people who have had direct skin-to-skin contact with people carrying the bacteria or by touching objects contaminated with MRSA (e.g. clothes, athletic equipment, ,towels or bandages). Symptoms include a wound that is not healing, warmth, redness, oozing of pus, with the sores often mistaken for “spider bites”.
One of the best ways to protect yourself and your child against MRSA and other skin infections is to practice good hand washing and proper hygiene. Also, always cover an exposed wound or cut with a dressing or band-aid. Please notify your child’s pediatrician or family doctor if your child has a suspicious wound that is draining and not healing. If it is found that you student has MRSA or a staph infection (through a positive wound culture), please notify our school nurse so that proper reporting measures to the Pennsylvania Department of Health can be followed.
Most often you doctor will want to culture the wound to identify the germ. Cultures are becoming increasingly more important so the doctor can identify the cause of a wound that is not healing well on its own. Sometimes your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic, but many wounds heal on their own as long as any pus is drained and good hygienic wound care is performed.
If you are interested in obtaining additional information on MRSA, it can be found at the Center for Disease Control website: www.cdc.gov/ and click on the link- MRSA in Schools.
Sincerely,
Paul Stadelberger, CEO
Cheryl Cantwell, RN, CSN School Nurse
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