County cautious during staph infection scare
Two isolated cases arise in Cherokee County
By Lizz Harold Staff Writer

Cherokee County Health authorities and school officials are taking precautionary measures after an antibiotic resistant infection spread through national schools.

The Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or staph infection, known as MRSA, caused concern for local parents after a Virginia teenager died of the infection this month.

"The case in Virginia prompted the initial concern," said Interim Health Director, Bob Wood. "We started to get quite a few calls from worried parents and have since taken control measures in schools and day cares."

Cherokee County Schools have taken significant steps to ensure that students, faculty, and parents are assured that the problem is in control. A letter explaining the infection, it's symptoms and how to prevent it is expected to be sent to parents across the county this week.

The Center for Disease Control has described the infection as a flesh-eating superbug that is highly contagious in well-populated environments such as schools, gyms, and prisons.

Though the infection is carried by more than 30% of the population, any underlying medical illness can trigger the infection.

There have been two isolated cases of MRSA in Cherokee County since the outbreak across the country, according to Wood. Health officials are confident that the infection can be prevented with simple cautionary techniques:

• Washing with antibacterial soap

• Avoid shared personal items such as cosmetics

• Avoiding open wounds of others

The infection spreads with skin-to-skin contact from an open leision that resembles a pimple or boil. The condition, if left untreated, can lead to infections of the blood, bone, or spread to other skin areas.

"People are nervous," said Sue Lynn Ledford of Cherokee County Schools, "Since the infection hit North Carolina last week, we've been watching the increase in it."

Ledford said that the condition isn't new and school systems have always been aware of the threat of this and other easily spread infections.

County schools have prepared for the potential risk of MRSA and health officials continue to raise awareness as the CDC invesitages further into the superbug.