Staph Infection Kills Virginia Student, Prompts Closing of 21 Schools

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[Gopher Broke]

Staph Infection Kills Virginia Student, Prompts Closing of 21 Schools Tuesday , October 16, 2007

BEDFORD, Va. — A high school student has died as the result of a treatment-resistant staph infection, prompting Virginia officials to shut down 21 schools to keep the illness from spreading.

Ashton Bonds, 17, a senior at Staunton River High School in Bedford, Va., died Monday after being hospitalized for a week with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, his mother said.

"I want people to know how sick it made my son," Veronica Bonds said.

[raybbr]

f these anti-bacterial ingredients are used by medicine in the human body, I'd be behind banning their use in household sanitary products.

Read the ingredients. It's not like they are putting penicillin in soaps.

[Greg F]

Maybe it’s “bad” regarding wearing the scrubs around after work. I think some of them might be in low risk practices (nurse for a doctor with an office), and I think that the staph doesn’t live on clothes as easily as other surfaces and skin. I’m not a doc and have not dealt with this for a long time so am not sure, just applying common sense in getting out of the clothes ASAP when in an environment that potentially has this meth resistant staph in it. I read in todays paper that Meth Resistant Staph is now killing more people than AIDS.

[gracesdad]

“Just a coincidence that Virginia has an illegal immigrant problem.”

All kinds of people carry MRSA including, very possibly, you. The county where this happened probably does have some illegals, but it’s not one of the big areas.

[Greg F]

Do NOT use HOT water to wash your hands. Use WARM water. Hot water eliminates the oils that your skin secretes that protect your skin from bacteria. Use comfortably warm water.

Thank you 60 Gunner!

[Greg F]

Do NOT use HOT water to wash your hands. Use WARM water. Hot water eliminates the oils that your skin secretes that protect your skin from bacteria. Use comfortably warm water.

Thank you 60 Gunner!

[gracesdad]

This was the third case at that one school and the fifth in that county. As far as I know, the other kids are fine.

[petercooper]

Yes you see people wearing “scrubs” and they’re always too long dragging along the sidewalk picking up all that filth and then right into the hospital or wherever they’re working. It’s also amazing how many people I see that could be out all day touching everything in sight in public (door handles, public phones,etc), then rubbing their eyes, putting their fingers in their mouths, etc... Not too many people wash their hands regularly— pretty disgusting.

[HollyB]

I picked up one of these infections while in the hospital for a surgery. Had a cut on my finger and the infection spread fast and furious. Spent a week in the hospital on IV’s. Then spent weeks taking more antibiotics at home. Never been so sick in my life, then it left me exhausted for a very, very long time.

Word of advise, put a band aid on even the smallest cut if you go to the hospital, even to visit someone.

[TruthConquers]

That is not as bad as I was afraid it could be.

Were the three cases at that one school all at the same time, or did the school “clean up” and then new cases appeared?

[gracesdad]

One of the problems is that the school didn’t “clean up.” I think at least two of the cases — including Ashton — were at the same time. And it appears that Ashton was sick for a number of days before he was diagnosed. Very sad.

[TruthConquers]

Having had to bury a child (many years ago), I agree and understand.

[gracesdad]

My condolences. Unfortunately, I’ve had to do the same.

[Kay]

Hi, ER nurse. Thanks for working on the frontlines.

If you are saying that sulfa is not good for eradication of MRSA on the skin, you are correct. If you are saying that sulfa is not used to treat the skin infections then that is different. Yes, sulfa is not a drug used for MRSA on inpatients. You see the IV meds in the ER. However, it is heavily used as PO drug for outpatient skin infections. Sulfa, tetracycline, and vancomycin are among the few drugs that are still active against MRSA. Can’t use keflex or augmentan — and usually not erythromycin or cipro.

[Marysecretary]

Bactraban is what they use at the Dialysis Center for your nose.

[TruthConquers]

Prayers for you in return, with my condolences.

[MrB]

Heck, without corporations, we’d all still be hunkered down in post-renaissance times.

Not many people would invest in a trading ship if they could be held liable for MORE THAN THEIR INVESTMENT if the ship went down.

[Marysecretary]

Try bactraban too. They use it at the dialysis center.

[60Gunner]

You are exactly right. I was speaking about sulfa in terms of treatment for MRSA in the ER. Tip of the professional hat to you.

[HollyB]

Just read today that two kids at Wilde Lake High school in Colulmbia, MD (Howard county) have been diagnosed as well.

[Darnright]

>I’d like to hear their reasoning.<

The night Ashton passed away, some students began a campaign through cell phone text messages and email to meet outside the school the next morning in a prayer session/protest. From what I heard, some kids got a bit out of hand when the principle tried to talk to them. Other kids told the protesters that cussing out the administrators did not honor Ashton’s memory. There was a lot of anguish and emotion. Ashton has a number of cousins at that school, and he was well-liked by just about everyone.

The students demanded that something be done to disinfect the school. Some parents threatened to keep kids home until something was done. The school system responded with the shutdown for disinfection.

I don’t blame the school. I think the school and the community has been blindsided to some degree by a disease most had never heard of until very recently.