School Officials Say MRSA Case Is Isolated, Building Is Safe
UPDATED 03/24/11 4:45 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS/WBBM) -- Officials have confirmed that a teacher's aide has been stricken with MRSA at a South Side elementary school but say the building has been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized and is safe.
Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Monique Bond said the one case of MRSA has been confirmed at the Simon Guggenheim Elementary School.
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The school, at 7141 S. Morgan St., held a meeting Thursday afternoon to answer parents' questions. Principal Vikki Stokes said the building has been cleaned multiple times. Every surface students may encounter has been sanitized, she emphasized.
"We have sanitized the entire building," Stokes said. "We're actually on time number 4."
Parents say they're upset that they didn't learn of the possible case of MRSA until late Tuesday, when the school sent home letters advising parents to make sure their children practiced good hygiene. Some parents were skeptical that things are under control. Attendance has dropped nearly 40 percent since the health scare erupted.
"It's not a big school, but I'm not seeing how you sanitize the entire building, ever inch and space within 24 hours," parent Josie Jackson said.
As the bell rang Thursday morning, older students came to Guggenheim with their friends, while the younger ones were escorted by concerned parents.
Maria Scott said she brought her daughter and son to school reluctantly, after keeping them at home on Wednesday.
"They said the school is clean, to their knowledge," Scott said. She say she is concerned, but can't keep her children "away from learning."
Meanwhile, a father of some students decided to err on the side of caution and keep his children at home. Balando Swinney said students should not be in the school right now.
"You see how they're going in there? They shouldn't be going in there, period," Swinney said.
The school was open for classes Wednesday morning.
One parent told WBBM Newsradio 780 that on Wednesday, said she sent her child to school with enough hand sanitizer to share and some instructions.
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"I also told her, you know, don't touch any of your friends, you know, open cuts, and try to help them consult a nurse," she said.
After the first suspicion of MRSA at the school, the Chicago Public Schools sanitized the classrooms, gym and cafeteria.
Recently, a sibling of a student went to the hospital for a possible case of MRSA, but the test results were negative. One other student went home Wednesday after seeing redness and bumps on his skin, and the district is waiting to find out his results.
MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) can be fatal if left untreated. It is spread by contact, such as touching another person who has the disease on their skin.
Most healthy people can fight off MRSA, but it can be extremely dangerous if it enters the body through a wound or cut.
As the name suggests, MRSA is resistant to most antibiotics. The few antibiotics that do work are given in shots or through IVs for treatment.
Letters were sent out to parents to alert them of the possible infection, but no classes were being canceled and all school schedules were continuing as normal, according to Bond, the CPS spokeswoman. In the letter, officials advised parents to make sure their kids wash their hands or use hand sanitizer.
A Guggenheim parent said in the Tuesday letter, the school said the gym, cafeteria and classrooms were disinfected. The mother said she sent her child to school with enough hand sanitizer to share and some instructions.
"I also told her, you know, don't touch any of your friends, you know, open cuts, and try to help them consult a nurse," she said.
The mother says she just loves the school and hopes CPS is doing the right thing by keeping kids in class.
