Gloucester City Schools hit by an outbreak of MRSA infection
The antibiotic-resistant strain was found in both the elementary and high school
By Bill Cleary
A letter from the Gloucester City School District has been sent home to parents warning them to take extra precautions after classmates were infected by a staph bacteria outbreak that has swept the country.
A rumor circulated in mid-summer that a Gloucester City Public School custodian along with a teachers' aide had the disease but those incidents could not be confirmed at the time. Nor did the City School District make any announcements to that effect.
Recently it was reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer that eight football players at Haddonfield Memorial High School were the latest area students diagnosed with the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The infection, known as MRSA, has been on the rise among athletes nationwide.
Elsewhere in Camden County, there have been six confirmed cases of the infection at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, according to Eastern school officials. They include three athletes and three students not involved in sports.
Staph bacteria, including MRSA, can cause skin infections that can look like a pimple or boil and can be red, swollen and painful, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Typically, the infection is spread through close skin-to-skin contact, openings in the skin such as cuts or abrasions, and contaminated items and surfaces. It generally is treated with antibiotics.
Haddonfield Memorial High principal Priscilla T. Vimislik told the Inquirer that stadium lockers were being cleaned daily with a disinfectant. Football players have been asked to wash their uniforms daily, and wipe equipment with bleach and water.
The Inquirer reported at Eastern Regional, the artificial turf has been sanitized, and the school's weight room is being disinfected twice daily. Students must bring their own towels and are encouraged to shower after exercising.
