NM Health Department confirms 2 Belen students suffering from MRSA
Posted at: 01/25/2012 6:00 PM
By: Danielle Todesco, KOB Eyewitness News 4
The New Mexico Department of Health confirms more than a dozen students in the Albuquerque metro area have been diagnosed with contagious skin infections.
The department is working with schools to make sure they are taking the proper precautions to prevent it from spreading.
In total, the health department said there have been 15 cases of skin infections in schools. Fourteen were in Belen, and one staph infection was confirmed in an Albuquerque public school.
"That was a minor skin infection that has been treated and is resolving," said Joan Baumbach with the health department.
Two of the 15 cases are confirmed as
Baumbach said all 15 cases have been minor, but they take them all seriously. They have been working closely with the schools to make sure it does not spread.
"They are cleaning very aggressively on a regular basis in the exact appropriate way that you should...services that students are coming in contact with as well as athletic surfaces and equipment," Baumbach said.
That is exactly what a letter sent home to Dennis Chavez Elementary, Belen parents said.
Marsha Martinez has a 10-year-old who goes to the school. She said they are not taking this lightly.
"Showering once or twice a day! It's just scary because you don't know if they've been in contact with this other individual or if kids can be sent to school with it, is the school taking precautions to make sure that the wounds are covered," Martinez said.
Baumbach said the best way to prevent the infections are through good hygiene and lots of hand washing.
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