Third Case Of MRSA At Long Island High School
ROCKY POINT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A third student on the same sports team at Rocky Point High School on Long Island has been diagnosed with the bacterial infection known as MRSA.
Michael Ring, the school's district superintendent, sent a letter notifying parents and staff on Tuesday after the student contracted the infection. The other two cases were reported in December.
Ring said the school has taken measures to sanitize the building with disinfectants.
"As with any health matter, we take MRSA very seriously as the health and welfare of our students, staff and visitors is our top priority," Ring said in the letter. "Please be assured that the district continues to act in a vigilant and proactive manner to maximize our ability to help contain the spread of contagions, including MRSA."
Third Case Of MRSA At Long Island High School
One bus driver said it's all about cleanliness.
"Basically, wash your hands, stay far enough away," she told WCBS 880's Mike Xirinachs. "We're school bus drivers so we wipe our buses down and try and keep it as clean as possible."
A Suffolk County health department spokeswoman says the cluster, which has been reported to state health officials, is the first in the county in recent years that nurses can recall.
MRSA is a staph bacteria that can be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact or sharing towels.
Parents have been advised to take their children for a test if a staph infection is suspected. Symptoms may include a large red area on the skin along with swelling and pain, followed by a pustule, an abscess or boils and carbuncles.
MRSA is treatable with broad-spectrum antibiotics, but may cause severe illness or hospitalization if untreated.
For more information, click here.
Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com:
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
