Two Naperville North football players were diagnosed with a drug-resistant strain of staph bacteria. How concerned should we be?
We should be OK, health officials say, so long as we follow common-sense rules of hygiene: Wash our hands often with anti-bacterial soap, don't share combs, etc. It's important to keep open wounds covered.
How worried were you when you heard about the Naperville students? How well do you think local school and health officials handled the situation?
Oh great, another thing we should be scared about. The producers over at Fox News must be thrilled. It's true what they say in "Bowling for Columbine," the tv news and the newspapers look for things to keep us terrified. And often it turns out to be no big deal. Remember the bird flu? Or Y2K?
How can you compare Y2K with bird flu and staph infections? The latter actually kill people. You should hope you never have to go to a hospital for any reason. Wake up and read the facts.
Y2K!!! What about The year 2038 problem?!
I'm glad there was a swift response to this staph "outbreak" as some people are calling it, although really, calling it an outbreak seems like kind of a stretch. Thankfully, it was only two people. While Sarcastic Jack is right in that often times these things turn out to be no big deal, the potential that highly resistant bacteria has to kill people (particularly elderly or people with poor immune systems) is astronomical.
If this infection had occurred in one of the many retirement communities around Naperville the headlines wouldn't be reading "Two infected", instead we would be reading about the many deaths.
Just something to consider.
I'm disturbed by the fact that the school district was notified 5 WEEKS after diagnosis! Supposedly it is not required that a physician nor a parent need to call with such information. My child goes to the pre-school and I don't appreciate that I am told about a deadly virus 5 weeks later! Shame on that parent for not notifying the school sooner. I understand that they were in a difficult situation, but why would you not consider the safety of others knowing how it feels with one of your own.
Quite frankly, with privacy laws, you should be happy you were notified at all. In the school arena, "carriers" of deadly diseases/viruses are protected before anyone else. Do you have any idea how many children in your child's school are Hepatitis B,C (pick a letter) carriers? How about HIV? Why do you think school personnel are given blood-borne pathogen kits at the beginning of the school year?
Eli is correct. Talk to anyone who works in a hospital. Staph is everywhere, all the time. Teach your children proper hygiene, practice it yourself, and go to the doctor if you are worried.
I understand your point about stating Privacy Laws and HIPAA laws. I just want human beings to not hide behind these laws and treat other human beings with the same respect that they would like to be treated with. Concern for others well being should be a natural conscious act, not one riddled with laws.
This is addressing the outbreak at Dist. 204, in a preschool (not the high school at 204.)
"Remember the bird flu? Or Y2K?"
Avian flu has mutated into a form that can be spread by people coughing or sneezing. That makes it something you might want to be aware of and why CDC is watching it.
I work for a medical school so I see lots of spooky stuff, but this one truly has epidemic potential now that the mode of transmission has changed.
Yeah, I was reading about the new mutations of the Bird Flu in a recent issue of New Scientist. Scary stuff.
Calm down, folks. There's no evidence that the most virulent form of Avian Influenza (H5N1) has mutated and is causing sustained infection in humans who have been infected by other humans. And a couple of staph infections, even if it's MRSA, are no cause for alarm. A little skepticism is a good thing...especially for a so-called health care worker.
Bruce