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| Two Individuals at Knoxville High School Diagnosed With MRSA |
POSTED: 11:00am, UPDATED: 2:41pm 9/5/08 The Knox County Health Department says they're pleased with how a local school district is handling a small outbreak of a staph infection.
The Health Department confirms that two individuals at Knoxville High School -- one student and one faculty member -- have come down with the staph infection MRSA, though they did not say exactly when the diagnosis occurred.
Health Department Public Information Officer Michele Fishburn tells WGIL that so far, District-202 has done everything it can to try to prevent a major problem. "They have fulfilled their responsibilities in notifying the Knox County Health Department, and have asked us for our recommendations for taking the appropriate precautions to reduce the spread of the bacteria within the school," Fishburn said. "At this time we have sent that information to them, and we are extremely comfortable with the actions that the school has taken to avoid the spread of the bacteria."
Fishburn would not say what those recommendations are, and also did not comment on where in the school it might have been found.
Knoxville School District Superintendent Larry Carlton says letters are being sent to parents of KHS students Friday explaining the situation, and how they can prevent the disease from spreading. He says crews cleaned bathrooms, locker rooms, weight rooms, and floors with a bleach solution last night in order to make sure everything is clean and sanitary.
The Centers for Disease Control says MRSA is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain types of antibiotics, and can often be found in people in good health.
Fishburn says the best way to prevent MRSA, as with the flu or other types of illness, is to frequently wash your hands and use other good hygiene habits.
For more information on MRSA, CLICK HERE.
For information from the Knox County Health Department on MRSA, CLICK HERE (pdf document). |
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| 09 05 08 by Newsroom |
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