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By Robert Rosen
Hometown Weekly Staff
A single case of MRSA was confirmed at Wellesley High on Wednesday, April 6.
MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a type of staph infection that is resistant to many antibiotics and frequently causes skin infections.
Principal Jamie Chisum sent a letter home to parents alerting them of the infection, noting that “we will continue to monitor this situation and carry out cleaning and disinfecting per protocol.”
The Wellesley Public Schools and the town Facilities Maintenance Department has a routine in place for ongoing cleaning and disinfecting of all school equipment and frequently touched surfaces, according to Chisum’s letter.
“We also have strict protocols for when we receive notification of an infectious disease,” Chisum wrote. “That protocol was put in place this morning when we were notified. The focus for cleaning and disinfecting will be in the Fitness Center and locker rooms along with frequently touched surfaces throughout the school.”
MRSA skin infections are usually spread by skin-to-skin contact or by direct contact with the infected wound. It can also be spread by contact with contaminated surfaces or items such as sports equipment or personal items. It is not spread through the air.
Redness, warmth, swelling and tenderness are all common signs of a skin infection. A MRSA infection often looks like spider bite, bug bite or a boil or abscess. It can progress into something worse if left untreated. More information can be found on the CDC website at www.cdc.gove/mrsa.
Dr. David Lussier, the Superintendent of the Wellesley Public Schools, said that school did not have to close and that classes resumed as normal.
Robert Rosen is an Editor at Hometown Weekly. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @roberterosen.
