Teacher Dies from Staph Infection

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- A Rockville teacher died Sunday evening due to complications from a virulent form of staph infection.

Merry King, 48, was a special education teacher at Herbert Hoover Middle School.

School officials said the 48-year-old had been absent from Hoover since Nov. 30 and hospitalized since early last week.

King's daughter, Charlotte Oliver, told school officials her mother had been in a coma and died five days later of complications from a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, infection.

"We're not really certain when or how she picked it up," Oliver said. "She may have had it for a while. By the time she checked into the hospital it was so acute that there wasn't a lot they could do."

"Ms. King was a beloved staff member and students in her class will be deeply affected by her death," said Hoover Middle School Principal Billie-Jean Bensen, in a letter sent home with students.

Bensen said there is no indication King's illness was related to her work at the school and there is no reason to believe anyone there has an increased risk of contracting MRSA.

The classroom in which King worked was sanitized with bleach, News4's Megan McGrath reported. Common areas at the school are scheduled to be sanitized Tuesday night. Officials said they do not believe there is a threat to students, staff or faculty at the school.

As King's family copes with the loss, they are also disinfecting the teacher's home.

Students learned of her death on Monday and said they were very upset by it.

Officials said there were grief counselors on hand at the school.

In a letter sent home to parents, the school's principal expressed condolences and at the same time moved to reassure parents that their children are safe.

As parents dropped their children off at school Tuesday, many said they were not worried about their children contracting the disease.

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. There are currently only four active cases among county students. Harrison said King's case was believed to be the first since August involving a teacher.

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.

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.