PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The Palm Beach County School District is taking precautions at five schools because of the contagious bacteria MRSA.
WATCH NEWS CONFERENCE:
At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Chief of Staff Ed Tierney said John I. Leonard High School and Roosevelt Elementary School will be scrubbed and sanitized after a person with a suspected case of MRSA visited the schools.
"We want to be clear, MRSA has not been detected on any of our campuses," said Tierney. "People with reports of confirmed or suspected MRSA have visited our schools."
A school district spokesperson said Jupiter Elementary School was scrubbed and sanitized Monday after a person who occasionally visits the school was diagnosed with the contagious bacteria.
Last week, Suncoast Community High School in Riviera Beach and William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardenswere also scrubbed and sanitized.
Tierney said there have been three individuals with confirmed or suspected cases of MRSA, and they have visited multiple schools.
The CDC said MRSA can cause a bacterial staph infection that's transmitted primarily through skin-to-skin contact, as well as surfaces that have been touched by an infected person.
ADVICE FOR PARENTS
How can I protect my family from MRSA infections?
- Know the signs of MRSA and get treated early
- Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered
- Encourage good hygiene such as cleaning hands regularly
- Discourage sharing of personal items such as towels and razors
What are the signs and symptoms?
Most staph skin infections, including MRSA, appear as a bump or infected area on the skin that may be:
- Red
- Swollen
- Painful
- Warm to the touch
- Full of pus or other drainage
For more information about MRSA and how to protect yourself, click here.