Montgomery Village Student Diagnosed With MRSA

MONTGOMERY VILLAGE, Md. -- A student at Montgomery Village Middle School has been diagnosed with MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant strain of staph infection.

The student is the first at the school to be diagnosed with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, school officials said.It's the 43rd case in the Montgomery County school system this year.

School officials said the student is being treated and is attending class, News4's Jane Watrel reported.

Principal Edgar E. Malker and school nurse Maureen Reges released a statement urging families of students at the school to practice good hygiene and check skin regularly for lesions.

Merry King, a middle school special education teacher in Potomac, died earlier this week from MRSA.

The Montgomery school system has had 43 cases in 31 schools this school year, primarily among student athletes, said Kate Harrison, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County school system.

Health officials said MRSA is not found only in schools, but also in places like rec centers and health clubs.

Dozens of cases of the infection have been reported in the Washington region, but exact figures are not available because doctors are not required to report MRSA to state health authorities.

Health officials said basic hygiene can prevent the spread of the disease. Washing hands and clothes and not sharing personal articles are the best safeguards, they said.

An estimated 90,000 people in the United States fall ill each year from MRSA. It is not clear how many die from the infection; one estimate put it at more than 18,000, which would be slightly higher than U.S. deaths from AIDS.