If you’ve got kids in school Martin or St. Lucie County Schools, you know the scope of the work that teachers and administrators are asked to do is enormous. Their areas of responsibility have grown over the years and show no sign of abating.
One of their health concerns involves MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus), a highly-contagious bacteria that is resistant to most antibiotics.
Schools are reporting MRSA outbreaks in increasingly high numbers. They occur when a child who has MRSA leaves the bacteria on a surface which another child touches, allowing the bacteria to enter his or her body through an open wound or nasal cavity.
Once someone has MRSA, the bacteria colonize, meaning that a person becomes a carrier, even if they do not have outward signs of infection.
It’s important that schools sanitize the premises on a constant and regular basis, not just after an outbreak has occurred. They need to encourage hand washing by everyone (not just students), require that open wounds are bandaged, supply hand sanitizer to students entering every classroom, and require the school be notified when a child has been diagnosed with MRSA.
If an outbreak does occur, has the school determined the root cause of the infection? What did the victims have in common: one classroom, the same contact sports team?
Once that’s identified, the school is better equipped to prevent outbreaks in the future. Left unchecked, MRSA will continue to spread and outbreaks will become more common and harder to control.
MRSA is an international problem. Once considered rare, it has become more common as overuse of antibiotics caused it to morph into antibiotic-resistant strains.
We’re losing the battle against these germs. We all need to pitch in and work towards a resolution – it’s important that schools be a front-line ally.
If you suspect your child has contracted MRSA in the Martin or St Lucie County schools you may have a children’s personal injury lawsuit from which you could be compensated. The Law Office of Gloria Seidule has been helping clients with child personal injury cases for more than 30 years. Call for your free consultation and case evaluation at 772-287-1220.
