Experts say staph not a cause for fear
Sacramento area health officials are trying to calm "superbug" fears stemming from recent announcements that students have been diagnosed with a type of staph infection that does not respond to common antibiotics in the penicillin family.

Amid the cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, schools have notified parents by phone, canceled physical education classes and disinfected classrooms, bathrooms and even school buses to address what some worry is a modern-day scourge.

Most of the focus has been on Natomas Middle School, where extensive cleaning and parent notifications took place last Friday after a student reported an MRSA infection, and at Rocklin High School, where administrators Monday took similar action after learning a 17-year-old student had contracted the infection.

While some strains of staph can be very dangerous and challenging to treat, experts stress that most infections are common and easily cured – even without antibiotics – and that people who have received treatment pose little risk to others.

"This is not Ebola virus," said Dr. Karen Tait, deputy health officer for Sacramento County, referring to the lethal disease that emerged in Africa in the 1970s.

Tait was careful not to criticize the schools' reactions, but indicated that the measures they took were largely unnecessary.

"Disinfection of surfaces that skin frequently contact is a good thing," she said. "But I think it could be done with routine maintenance."

And while contacting parents about a single student's infection may seem prudent, Tait said it may cause unwarranted worry for parents.

"Typically, we wouldn't recommend that," she said. "This is something we are going to be seeing periodically, and over time they will realize there is no benefit to announce each and every case."

Health experts acknowledge that MRSA is on the rise and, in rare cases, can be deadly. The Oct. 15 death of a 17-year-old high school student in Virginia from a staph infection has put the spotlight on the bacteria and helped ignite widespread fear, particularly on school...

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