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View Full Version : Entire school system to be scrubbed after superbug case


lily
10-27-2007, 11:18 PM
Anyone else worried about this? (http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/27/mrsa.school.cleaning.ap/index.html)

Entire school system to be scrubbed after superbug case


PIKEVILLE, Kentucky (AP) -- An eastern Kentucky school district with one
confirmed case of antibiotic-resistant staph infection plans to shut down
all 23 of its schools Monday, affecting about 10,300 students, to disinfect
the facilities.


Workers clean a classroom in Chicago, Illinois. Staph infections have spread
recently through several schools.


The project will involve disinfecting classrooms, restrooms, cafeterias,
hallways, locker rooms, buses and even external areas such as playgrounds
and sports fields, said Roger Wagner, superintendent of Pike County schools.

"We're not closing schools because there's been a large number of breakouts,
but as a preventive measure," Wagner said.

One Pike County student was diagnosed with in September with MRSA, or
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The bacterial strain can be
treated with other antibiotics, but without treatment it can be deadly.

The bacteria was blamed for the death of a 17-year-old Virginia high school
senior and a 12-year-old New York City middle school student this month.

At least seven students on New York's Long Island were recently diagnosed
with MRSA, as were 10 members of an athletic team at Iona College in New
Rochelle, New York.


Two weeks ago, students staged a sit-in at the lunch room of Pike Central
High School in effort to get school officials to clean the school as
protection against the bacteria.

Most abandoned the sit-in after Principal David Rowe threatened them with a
three-day suspension, but 33 stayed and were given the choice of one day of
in-school suspension or two days out-of-school suspension.

Three chose out-of-school suspension.

I had something like this in December of 1999, I'm not exactly sure if it's the same thing or not. Finally broke down and went to the hospital when my temp hit 105 and my husband was asking me a question and he couldn't understand what I was saying. I'm good at hiding things, I knew I was sick, but it was a busy time at work.

Got there, he had to fill out the forms, by that time I didn't know my name or when I was born. Kept me there for a week and a half. Surgery to the infected area and infectious disease doctor hovering over me, telling me things I didn't understand. Sent me home with a pic-u in my arm and my husband put in the antibiotics three times a day. Visiting nurse came every other day..........man I don't want to ever go through that again!

It takes a lot to scare me......but this thing has me scared shitless! I wonder if I already had it, if it would make me immune?

Oh well.......now I'm rambling.........is anyone else worried about it?

BoogyMan
10-27-2007, 11:28 PM
There is already a thread about this topic at the URL below:

http://www.democracyforums.com/showthread.php?tid=8740

Buck Laser
10-28-2007, 03:00 AM
These rampant infection epidemics scare the hell out of me. Here in Texas, we've had several cases of bacterial infections from area lakes. Like the Staph infections, they seem to be antibiotic resistant. And of course, the schools are great bacterial playgrounds. Unfortunately, so are hospitals. I've been told that I have to be extremely careful because of the number chemo did on my immune system, but so far I've been very lucky. Nevertheless, I have the distinct feeling that we are more at risk in the US from rampant bacterial infections than terrorist attacks. I hope I'm wrong.

lily
10-28-2007, 03:07 AM
Makes one wonder if it's from over prescribing antibiotics or evolution.