Las Vegas NowSchool Officials Taking Measures Against MRSA

School Officials Taking Measures Against MRSA

One of the scariest things on campus isn't violent at all. It's silent, but it can kill. The infectious superbug known as MRSA has Clark County School Officials concerned. They're hoping to get students involved, for their own sake.

Kenny Pero and Shane Mulvey are both on the wrestling team at Cheyenne High School in North Las Vegas, and they've both heard of MRSA -- a painful infection that's spread through person-to-person skin contact or by touching something that has the bacteria, such as gym equipment.

"It's a bad skin disease and basically, you could probably die from it," said Pero.

"It could look like boils on your skin and they're filled with pus. If they pop, they do hurt and the only way to get them drained is from a doctor," said Mulvey.

The school's athletic director, Stephen Alfreno, says there's an ongoing effort to keep MRSA out of the school picture, "We make sure our mats are cleaned everyday. We have a chemical compound that we purchased to make sure they're clean and safe for the athletes."

Unlike other staph infections, MRSA doesn't respond to most antibiotics. Diana Taylor, Director of Health Services for the Clark County School District, says they've nearly completed a video presentation about MRSA that will go out to the schools.

"Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus will cause a student to have to be excluded from school until it's treated. And it is easily transmitted, so it's important that we really look at prevention," she said.

Regular hand washing is one means of prevention. In fact, Sunrise Hospital is participating in an upcoming campaign to help educate young people about MRSA, and hand washing is a key part of their message.

MRSA started out in hospitals where sick people are especially vulnerable. But now that it's out in the world, anyone with an open cut or wound can fall victim to the MRSA bacterium.

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