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Feb 1, 2008 9:41 pm US/Central
Texas School District Takes Steps To Fight Staph
PLANO (CBS 11 News) ―
Your gym, laundry room and even your child's locker at school are all crawling with staph-causing bacteria. Now, one North Texas school district is going on the offense, taking action to combat staph and its deadly sister, MRSA.
Plano school officials say safety is their number one concern for players on the field. When the 'superbug' known as MRSA began tackling players around the state, they decided to fight back.
MRSA stands for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. It's a drug-resistant version of the staph bacteria, and can be deadly.
"MRSA is a particular kind of staph that we've been dealing with in hospitals for many years," says Dr. William Sutker, infectious disease expert at Baylor Health System.
Dr. Sutker says recently, though, MRSA has jumped outside hospital doors, and has started attacking the general public. "The first time we heard about it was in professional athletes where they shared a locker room."
When interviewed by CBS 11 News, Dr. Sutker explained that athletes are more prone to a staph infection because they're more likely to get cut or injured. But anyone who gets a cut on their skin leaves themselves open to infection.
Gerald Brence runs the athletic department for the Plano Independent School District. He says the fight against MRSA is literally a matter of life and death. "It's an ongoing thing," Coach Brence told CBS 11 News. "It's something you can never let up on the fight against staph infections."
Texas health officials published a study in January that said football players here are 16 times more likely to become infected with MRSA than in any other state. To fight those numbers, Plano ISD became the first district in the state to test a new product.
TurfAide is an anti-microbial spray that's applied to artificial turf, and kills virtually any dangerous bacteria clinging to it.
The spray was applied to all indoor fields in the Plano ISD two years ago. "It's been working," Brence says. "There's no staph on those fields, so it's been very successful so far."
TurfAide officials report that, because of the success in Plano and other test locations, they'll be treating more than 10 million square feet of turf this year.
Coach Brence says they're constantly reviewing products and procedures to stay ahead of any infections, but Dr. Sutker warns that all prevention starts with proper hygiene. "Hand washing is a simple, easy and most effective way to prevent MRSA or any other infection," he says. "I don't think the public should panic. I think awareness is the key."
Symptoms of staph include a boil or rash on the skin following a cut or scrape. MRSA adds to that more flu-like symptoms, including fever and achy muscles.
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