| Updated: 2/28/2008 11:12 am |
Published: 10/22/2007 4:31 pm
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(TULSA, Okla.) October 22 - Area schools are on guard tonight against a dangerous and quick spreading, drug-resistant bacteria.
The MRSA "Super Bug" is a staph infection that can get into any cut on your skin, or open wound. At first it looks like a spider bite.
It's already shown up in students at Bixby Schools. So far, no cases have been reported in Tulsa Public Schools but they are doing things to keep it that way.
A weight room can be a breeding ground for germs. That's why students and coaches are using disinfectant spray to wipe down equipment and make sure those germs don't spread.
Blake Duncan spends a lot of his day in class at Nathan Hale High School, but his favorite time is when he's on the football field. “Oh, I love it. If I got hurt, I'd go right back out there.”
But if Blake caught MRSA he wouldn't be playing for a while. That's why, besides using disinfectant spray, he and other athletes are doing what they can to make sure the drug-resistant bacteria doesn't show up.
But it's not just athletes that need to be careful. Co-Athletic Director Trish Pruitt says, “It could be spread by general contact so we need to make sure that the whole student population practices proper hygiene and keeps their hands washed.”
Right now the district says it's working on a letter to parents that will explain MRSA, what the district is doing, and what you can do to keep your kids from catching it. The district says it hopes to have that letter to parents this week.
MRSA is being blamed for the deaths of several students around the country, including a four-year-old girl in New Hampshire and a high school senior in Virginia.
MRSA also closed down two schools near Philadelphia so they could be thoroughly cleaned. A high school student and an elementary student there have been diagnosed with the infection.
Tomorrow morning on FOX23 Daybreak a doctor will talk about this "Superbug." He'll also be able to answer your questions. All you have to do is send an e-mail to daybreak@fox23.com.
