No outbreak of MRSA recorded at high school
"We are the most proactive district I have seen in all my years of teaching." -- Joey McQueen LHS athletic director
By LISA CARNLEY Staff Writer

The adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is significant now, with claims circulating that a large number of students are walking around campuses with potentially deadly staph infection -- or MRSA, a methicillin resistant infection.

Lampasas Independent School District personnel note the number of staph infections are on the rise across the state. Locally, the illness is much more of a community problem than a district one.

Registered nurse Jamie Jones, LISD's health official, said the Lampasas school district has fewer cases this year than over the last four years.

"In fact, we have less than one half of 1 percent of our students with staph infection."

MRSA, a type of staph resistant to certain antibiotics, is most common in health-care facilities and nursing homes. "It is not isolated to athletic facilities," said Mrs. Jones.

Lampasas Athletic Director Joey McQueen said Mrs. Jones and athletic trainer Jan Brister are on top of the situation, and both are taking precautions to assure that staph is not being spread among students -- despite rumors to the contrary.

"We do everything we can, and then some, to be sure our kids are healthy and safe," said McQueen.

Mrs. Brister said rumors of staph have been greatly exaggerated, especially among students. "You can just hear them telling their friends that so and so has a staph infection," the athletic trainer said. "And I ask them if they have been to a doctor, and their typical response is `No.'"

Mrs. Brister said staph can be diagnosed only through a culture in a physician's or doctor's office. "That's the only way it can be confirmed. The rest is just rumor."

Mrs. Brister and Mrs. Jones have combined efforts to ensure that local students are educated on staph at all levels and that precautions are being taken to keep the infection to a minimum.

"We monitor everything closely," Mrs. Brister said. And since most people believe the majority of cases come from students mixing together in athletics, the trainer said that is where much of the prevention is concentrated.

All coaches and athletes must report draining wounds to the trainer. Mrs. Brister then makes sure wounds are covered. "If they are not covered, the student does not participate in athletics," she said.

McQueen said the showers and dressing room floors are cleaned several times each day with an antibacterial solution, and players are instructed to take their clothing home to be washed.

Bar soap has been banned, replaced with machines that dispense liquid soap. Coaches spray athletic equipment with a special solution, he said, including helmets and pads, and students are told not to share their equipment with anyone else.

"We are the most proactive district I have seen in all my years of teaching," said the athletic director.

Even though LISD is not experiencing an outbreak, it seems the program most affected is football, likely due to its higher number of participants, an increased risk of cuts and scrapes, the sharing of equipment and personal items, and sites of infections going unnoticed.

If there is an infection, it is treated as if it were staph, said Mrs. Brister. "That way, we are ahead of the game."

The athletic trainer said in 2005, a number of cases were diagnosed nationwide, and at that time LISD began to provide extensive education for its students. Letters were sent home to parents, and education on infection was instigated.

"Whether students are in athletics or daycare, parents must educate their children on prevention of infection," Mrs. Jones said. "And the best way to prevent infection? Hand washing and more hand washing. That is the most important means of deterring staph transmission."

The main mode of transmission is by the hands, but infection also can be spread from shared equipment or clothing that may be contaminated with body fluids containing the bacteria.

Mrs. Jones said the best ways to prevent a spread of infection include:

-- keeping cuts and abrasions clean and covered.

-- avoiding contact with other people's wounds or lesions.

-- having open sores evaluated by the nurse, athletic trainer or physician.

-- increasing hand washing.

-- showering with soap and water as soon as possible after direct contact sports.

-- not sharing unclean towels.

-- reporting any suspicious-looking bites, boils, pimples, etc.

"Because staph is everywhere and has the potential to cause infection, everyone must be involved in prevention," said the LISD nurse. "While the situation here is not alarming, everyone can help in the control and prevention of infection."

Said McQueen: "We do not have a staph outbreak in our district, and that can be attributed to our personnel being on top of the situation and that kids and the community are becoming more educated and paying better attention to prevention and cure."

The trio of LISD officials encouraged those with concerns to contact one of them personally. "We will be glad to share information with parents and community members," Mrs. Jones added.