Parents and Guardians: You may have heard about health issues in the news regarding MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus). MRSA is a bacterial staph infection that is resistant to many antibiotics. MRSA occurs most frequently among persons in hospitals, health care facilities and correctional facilities, but is also common in the general community among otherwise healthy individuals.  This is called CA-MRSA, Community Acquired MRSA. 

The district has consulted with epidemiologists at the Oakland County Health Division to review instructions from the Centers for Disease Control on precautions, cleaning procedures, and reporting requirements. 

MRSA is spread from direct, person-to-person contact. Surfaces can only hold staph for a short period of time. Since this child had not been in school in recent days, we were advised not to be concerned about direct infection. Our district follows standard cleaning procedures and takes precautions for transmittal of infectious diseases as regular, daily practice, and will continue to do so.

Practice good hygiene:

1. Teach young children how to carefully and completely wash their hands.  See the flyer from the health department for more information.
2. Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
3. Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed.
4. Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or bandages.
5. Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors.
6. See your healthcare provider if you think someone in your family might have staph or MRSA infection?

Thank you for your attention to these important health measures and for sharing handwashing guidelines with your family.

Click on the following links for instructions on preventative measures.

Fact Sheet on MRSA:  http://www.oakgov.com/health/assets/Documents/fs_mrsa.pdf

Handwashing: http://www.oakgov.com/health/assets/Documents/HealthyHints/Wellness/handwashing

http://www.oakgov.com/health/assets/Documents/fs_handwashing.pdf

Norovirus Fact Sheet