A Prospect Mill Elementary School student has been diagnosed with a potentially deadly strain of staph infection, the first reported case in Harford County, authorities said Wednesday.
Parents received a letter Tuesday saying a child at the Bel Air school had acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureaus (MRSA), a form of staph resistant to antibiotics.
School officials declined to identify the child, irking some parents.
“I think people should know who it is, so that they know to take special precautions,” said Robert Ewers, a parent of a first-grader at the school. “I mean, this stuff is killing people.”
Doctors said the child had not contracted the infection in the school, said Don Morrison, schools spokesman.
The infection can be deadly.
Ashton Bonds, a 17-year-old senior at Staunton River High School in Bedford, Va., died this month after being diagnosed with MRSA.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said more than 90,000 people get potentially deadly staph infections annually.
Last week, Carroll County?s school system said it had 13 confirmed cases of MRSA since the beginning of the school year. Howard has two confirmed cases and Anne Arundel had three.
The remedy to protect against the spread of staph is simple, said John M. Colmers, secretary of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
“As it occurs, people should focus on good hygiene and pay attention to wounds that don?t heal properly,” Colmers said.
Gina M. Blair, whose daughter goes to the school, said she still considers it a safe place for her child.
“I have confidence in school personnel to put precautions into place,” she said.
Ewers agrees.
“It?s not the school?s problem if he didn?t contract the disease at the school,” he said. “The school can only try to enforce cleanliness.”
