Link: Sunday, 11/06/05.
A high school student from the Dyer County School System was diagnosed with a dangerous strain of staphylococcus infection.
The school system notified students and parents Thursday and told parents to look for the symptoms of the infection.
Staph infections are commonly found in hospitals and most often cause minor skin infections. However, the student was affected by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which is strain that is resistant to antibiotics.
"It is dangerous because it can go systemic, which means it can get into the bloodstream," said Nancy Deere, community services director for the West Tennessee Department of Health. "If that happens, it can be fatal."
Lyndal Gallowa, a registered nurse for the Dyer County School System, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported this strain of infection in school athletes. Dwight Hedge, county schools director, said that the athletic facilities at the high school and two middle schools will be cleaned with a bleach solution.
