2 more Naperville-area students diagnosed with staph
Two students in Indian Prairie Unit District 204 have been diagnosed with MRSA, the antibiotic-resistant staph infection causing concern in schools across the nation, officials said today.
Three more people in neighboring Naperville Unit District 203 also are being examined amid concerns they may have the "superbug" just a week after that district notified parents that two freshmen at Naperville North High School were infected.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is a strain of bacteria that can be found in the nasal passages, skin, or bodily secretions but does not necessarily produce the disease.
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In the latest Indian Prairie cases, a student at Prairie Children Preschool was treated for the disease about five weeks ago and already has been cleared to return to school, according to an e-mail message sent to parents today by Deputy Superintendent Kathy Birkett.
The other case involves a high school student at the district's Frontier Campus who is currently under a physician's care and will not return to school until released by a doctor.
Area physicians notified District 204 about the cases on Tuesday.
District 204 already had started proactively cleaning all middle and high school locker rooms last week after learning about the infection at Naperville North.
District 204 staff is now reviewing Illinois Department of Health guidelines in order to properly clean the preschool and Frontier Campus.
Meanwhile, the two students confirmed to have the infection at Naperville North already have been treated and released.
The three additional cases being investigated in District 203 also involve Naperville North.
"Heightened awareness happening everywhere is causing a lot of people to come forward," Superintendent Alan Leis said.
On the skin, the infection may look like a pimple or boil and could be swollen or painful, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
District 203 already has "super cleaned" all high school and junior high school locker rooms and Leis said the district is being vigilant about cleaning on a daily basis.
MRSA is spread through direct physical contact. To keep the disease from spreading, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people keep their hands clean, keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered, avoid contact with other people's wounds and avoid sharing personal items such as towels and razors.