CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. - The Shenendehowa School District in Clifton Park is warning parents that a Gowana Middle School student has been diagnosed with the MRSA staph infection.
The district warns that while the case pertains to Gowana, staph is present everywhere and, while students have the commonality of being in school, it is never certain where the exposure took place.
MRSA, carried on people's skin, is a type of Staphylococcal aureus which has several unfortunate characteristics - it is resistant to many of the common antibiotics used for skin infections and it has the tendency to worsen rapidly. Staphylococcal aureus is a common bacteria which lives normally on human skin.
The district encourages parents to contact their physicians if they suspect any signs or symptoms of MRSA and encourage students to practice basic hygiene. People who have MRSA and are being adequately treated do not need to be restricted from work or school.
Also, the district says they have just been notified of a confirmed case of Hepatitis A at Arongen Elementary School. They say where as most people have been vaccinated for this, it ususally spreads by close personal contact.
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