Novi High School Takes Precautions After MRSA Report

An individual who regularly spends time at Novi High School has been diagnosed with MRSA – Methicillin-Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus – prompting school officials to give the school a deep cleaning and take other precautionary measures.

The individual, who has not been named, is not an athlete, WWJ/CBS Detroit and The Oakland Press report.

Athletes and others who are involved in activities that involve crowding, skin-to-skin contact and shared equipment and supplies are particularly susceptible to MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant strain of staph infection, is easily spread through direct contact with an infected wound or sharing of personal items.

Children at daycares, military personnel living in barracks, and people who regularly receive in-patient medical care are also vulnerable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Novi Superintendent Steve Matthews said the individual who has MRSA told school officials about the situation Monday. Matthews didn’t specify if the individual is, but said the person is not a student or staff member at the school, which has an enrollment of 2,000.

“This person doesn’t go through the whole (school building) so they’re not around buses and lunch tables,” Matthews said.

As a precautionary measure, “we set our custodial staff into action and used anti-bacterial cleaner (Virex II 256), focusing on contact areas such as doorknobs, light switches, crash bars and phones,” Matthews said. “We have addressed the situation as best as we can, and the school is safe for students.”

Officials said they will monitor the situation. Some of the best precautions against MRSA include:

• Maintain good hand and body hygiene. Wash hands often, and clean body regularly, especially after exercise.
• Keep cuts, scrapes, and wounds clean and covered until healed.
• Avoid sharing personal items such as towels and razors.
• Get care early if you think you might have an infection.

According to the CDC, one in three people carry staph in their nose, normally without illness. Two in 100 people carry MRSA. Most staph infections appear first as a bump on the skin that may be red, swollen, painful and warm to the touch. It may have pus or other drainage fluids, and it may be accompanied by a fever.

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Photo courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention