Flu, Not MRSA, Hitting Schools Hard

The information circulating in the county that MRSA has reached epidemic proportion in Port St. Joe schools is unfounded, according to both school and Gulf County Health Department officials. However, flu is currently taking a major toll on students.

According to Melissa Ramsey, principal of Port St. Joe Elementary School, flu was responsible for about one-fourth of the fifth grade missing class last week.

"I don't know of any upswing in the number of staph [MRSA] cases," Ramsey said, "but we have had an awful lot of kids out with the flu." A number of students have missed their FCAT tests during the March testing sessions because of the flu, Ramsey said.

She added that the hand sanitizing stations installed in county schools last year seemed to be helping and that teachers and students alike were using the stations and washing their hands more often.

Ramsey said last fall that Regina Washabaugh, the Port St. Joe school health program nurse, and her staff visited individual classes in all the grades to talk about hand washing, its importance and the proper way to wash effectively.

According to Clarissa Herndon, Gulf County Health Department Public Information Officer, data from the state health department currently shows that Gulf County's MRSA data is steady.

"Our numbers are low, but MRSA in general is being talked about more," Herndon said. "Yes, MRSA is in the schools, but looking at the data it isn't something that is running rampant in the county schools. People are becoming much more educated and sensitive about it," she added.

Sidebar

In the case of either the flu or MRSA, hand washing is essential for good health. Proper hand washing needs to be observed by everyone, at home, at school and in the workplace.

In order to help protect themselves from illnesses spread from contact with sick people or contaminated surfaces, everyone needs to:

* Wash your hands regularly with soap.

* Keep yourself clean.

* Keep fingernails trimmed so you do not scratch yourself.

* Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage that seals on all four sides until healed.

* Avoid contact with other people's wounds or bandages.

* Try to prevent insect bites, especially yellow fly bites, by using insect repellant with DEET.

But if bitten by any insect, wash the area thoroughly with plain soap and water, then apply a topical antibiotic.

* Wash sheets, towels and clothes that have become soiled with water and laundry detergent.

Dry clothes in a hot dryer, instead of air drying them. The heat from the dryer helps kill bacteria in clothes.

* Do not share towels, other toiletries or personal grooming products.

* Do not share clothing or uniforms unless they have been washed in hot soapy water.

* In health clubs or training facilities, use a barrier, like a towel or clothing, between your skin and shared equipment. Wipe the surface of shared equipment before and after use.

* Athletes should shower immediately after practice or games, check themselves for any scrapes or cuts, and clean and properly treat any skin breaks.

Then clean the locker room and wash all uniforms immediately after each use.

______________________

If a person is diagnosed with MRSA, along with the appropriate antibiotic regimen, the person should:

*Elevate the affected area, if possible.

Elevation helps fight infection by reducing swelling. Bacteria thrive on the fluid between cells, so the more swelling in an area, the more bacterial growth.

*Apply warm, moist heat by soaking clean paper towels in warm water, ringing out the towel and applying it directly to the affected area two to four times daily.

This helps fight the infection and may bring the boil or pustule to a head so it drains spontaneously.

* Drain any abscess.

It is often very helpful to have a professional health care worker drain the abscess to make sure all infection is removed.

____________________

According to medical professionals, Staph infections in households, once introduced, spread easily, so hand washing is very important and still the best way to control the bacteria.

Hand washing is particularly necessary before eating, after contact, and after using the bathroom.

In order to wash long enough for effectiveness, the standard gauge is to slowly sing the full verse of the "Happy Birthday" song while washing.

Maybe two or three times.