Educators seek answers about staph infections

Nearly 100 DuPage County educators packed a conference room in Lombard today to learn more about an antibiotic-resistant infection that's been making headlines and alarming parents.

Cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA have been popping up in suburban schools this month, including two new reports in Kaneland and Geneva.

DuPage County Health Department experts told the audience that good hygiene is key to eliminating the threat. And they encouraged common-sense approaches to any suspected MRSA cases.

"We need to act on information, not on fear," mental health services clinical director Joyce Butler said.

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria found in the nose or skin of up to 30 percent of the population. When the skin is broken, bacteria can enter the body and cause infection. MRSA refers to a strain of the bacteria that resists antibiotics commonly used to treat staph infections.

School officials at the session, also sponsored by the DuPage Regional Office of Education, peppered experts with questions. Queries ranged from how to clean toys, whether to wipe off desks with multiple users and when to urge a student with a skin infection to see a doctor.

MRSA cases have emerged in Naperville, Aurora, Roselle, Rolling Meadows, Huntley, Palatine, Elgin, Woodstock and elsewhere in the collar counties.