By Anthony Rifilato
Last month, Caramore said the school district planned to send out information and advisories to parents about the methicillin resistant staphyloccocus (MRSA), a bacterial infection which was found in at least four students on Long Island and claimed the life of a Brooklyn boy last month. But that was before the issue hit home.
"That was the plan," Caramore said at a Community Input meeting at Baldwin High School on Oct. 24. "By Saturday and Sunday, I found out that Baldwin had the first case of MRSA in Nassau County."
On Oct. 22, the Nassau County Department of Health confirmed that a student athlete at Baldwin High was diagnosed with MRSA on Sept. 21. The student, whose name is not being released, was not hospitalized and fully recovered. The health department said no additional cases have been reported at Baldwin High School.
"No one is aware of any other cases," Caramore said. "We felt obligated to take additional precautions. I think we are going to see more of this in the media as it happens in other communities."
Indeed, following the discovery at Baldwin High, several other school districts, including Freeport and Roosevelt, also reported students diagnosed with MRSA.
MRSA refers to a type of bacteria (Stapphylococcus aureus) that is resistant to some commonly prescribed antibiotics, though most cases of MRSA are preventable and easily treated if discovered in time. Severe infections may require hospitalization. According to the health department, MRSA can cause skin infections that may look like a pimple or a boil that can be red, swollen and painful. More serious infections can cause pneumonia, bloodstream infections and more.
The health department said that the best way to prevent MRSA is to practice good hygiene, mainly hand-washing, proper care of skin injuries and skin infections. Avoiding the shared use of personal items such as razors, headgear and towels is also recommended.
The school notified parents and took immediate action, Caramore said, which included disinfecting bathrooms, locker rooms and buses that athletes use, among other measures. "At this point, I think we're on top of the situation," Caramore said.
The cases have schools taking precautionary measures, and while districts like Oceanside have not had any students diagnosed with staph infections, it is making them think twice. Oceanside Superintendent Dr. Herb Brown, who wrote a letter to parents and all staff and posted on the district's web site, said:
"We obviously take it very seriously," Brown said. "Our athletic director is working with all the coaches on hygiene for athletes, and we're following direction of the [Nassau County] Health Department, and our nurses are working with our school doctor. We're trying to keep everything clean that's supposed to be clean, from wrestling mats to equipment used by kids."
Baldwin school board member Mary Clark, a registered nurse, said staph infections are more commonly found in hospitals and pose a greater threat to the elderly, and that the district was taking necessary precautions to address the situation.
School spokeswoman Cristina Schmohl said that they have provided guidelines to parents, students and staff.
"Baldwin is making sure that all the preventative measures provided by the Centers for Disease Control and health department are being added to class curriculum," Schmohl said.
