The 'superbug' MRSA has apparently claimed another victim. A 12-year old boy in Brooklyn, New York died on Thursday. After the middle-school student's death, school officials urged parents to report any signs of antibiotic-resistant staph infections. Recent publicity surrounding this disease, caused in part by the study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the death of a 17-year old high school student in Virginia, is causing school districts, parents and the country to take notice. To read more, click here. A day after the Brooklyn boy died, school and health officials across Long Island stepped up awareness campaigns concerning MRSA. There will be a forum among county health officials and school superintendents next week to discuss ways to keep children healthy. County officials are asking school districts to report cases to the county Department of Health. To read more, click here.

The Alabama Press Register reported that Spanish Fort High School brought in a professional cleaning service to clean the school after an athlete contracted MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, this month. It was the second MRSA case at Spanish Fort High School and at least the seventh staph case in Baldwin County public schools this year. Athletes, especially those involved with contact sports, such as the Daphne High School football players and the Spanish Fort student, are at a greater risk, due to cuts and abrasions they sustain during practice and games, but others can protect themselves by following simple hygiene. To read the full story, click here.

A Reuters report published on October 24, 2007 states that insured losses from Southern California wildfires may have exceeded $1 billion and could rival losses from some of the costliest fires in California's history. As a result of the devastating wildfires, more than 500,000 people have been evacuated and more than 1,436 homes have been destroyed. Another 25,000 structures were threatened statewide. For more information, click here. Super Clean can lower these insured losses by restoring damaged clothing and household items at a substantial savings over high replacement costs. Super Clean's cleaning system cleans, deodorizes, and sanitizes clothing, shoes, and a variety of household items damaged by smoke, water, and sewage and returns them to their pre-loss conditions. Super Clean's cleaning process is also NFPA-approved to wash firefighter turnout gear. To contact Super Clean, contact us at 310.808.1080.

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On Friday, October 19, 2007, HealthDay News reported that MRSA infections are approaching epidemic levels in some parts of the United States. MRSA infections, which are potentially deadly, are now responsible for an estimated 12 million outpatient visits each year for skin infections, said Jeff Hageman, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is a definite increase in the number of infections and there is also a greater awareness of the problem.

"MRSA is epidemic in some regions of the country," he said. "The highest rates are in the southern parts of the U.S., including Atlanta, Los Angeles and Texas. We first began noticing MRSA in 1999 when there were four child deaths in Minnesota and North Dakota."

While most staph and MRSA infections are manageable and go away without major medical treatment, some infections progress into a life-threatening situation. MRSA, more common in a hospital environment, is also spreading into the community, as evidenced by the recent deaths of school children in Virginia, New Hampshire and Mississippi and recent infections of six N. Carolina high school football players, seven students in West Virginia and two teens in Connecticut.

HealthDay reported that Dr. Pascal James Imperato, chairman of the department of preventive medicine and community health at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in New York City, said there's an increase in the number of community-acquired MRSA cases "...because of changes that have occurred in MRSA in the community where, at the biological level, the organism had mutated and can cause serious illness, whereas before it didn't."

The news story goes on to state that many people carry the MRSA bacteria on their skin and do not get sick or cause others to get ill as a result. MRSA has only recently grown into a problem due to the increased use of antibiotics, which has caused the bacteria to mutate into a drug-resistant form. Now MRSA infections are treated with newer antibiotics, but this does not guard against the fact that the bacteria will morph again and potentially become resistant to the newer antibiotics.

Athletes are especially vulnerable to MRSA infections due to the fact that abrasions, cuts and contusions are more common in sports. The bacteria can get inside the body through these portals of entry. Even sweating facilitates penetration by the bacteria into the body. Also, athletes wear equipment on which MRSA can survive. To prevent this form of transmission, Dr. Imperato advises that sports equipment should be sterilized on a regular basis.

Iona College, located in New Rochelle, New York, reported that MRSA, the most dangerous form of staph infection, attacked 9 student athletes and 1 coach on one of its athletic teams. In response, the college has taken measures to protect against this emerging threat, including disinfecting its workout room, not allowing players with open wounds to play, and implementing proper hygiene practices among its teams and athletes. Westchester County Health Commissioner, Dr. Joshua Lipsman, stated that the Health Department will be requesting hospitals, doctors and colleges to tell it about any MRSA cases, although that is not required by law, "so that we can see if there's any kind of a pattern." To read more, click here.

A Bedford, VA high school student died from complications of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Virginia's Department of Education issued a warning to the schools and parents about the serious and increasing threat posed by this dangerous form of infection. To read more, click here.

A New York Times article reported that schools around the country have reacted swiftly to the news of the recent deaths of students in Mississippi, New Hampshire and Virginia from dangerous staph infections and have taken action to combat the deadly strain of bacteria, called MRSA, as best they can. On the heals of these deaths comes a federal report showing that MRSA is responsible for more deaths each year than the AIDS epidemic. Schools in several states (Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolins, Ohio and Virginia) have closed their doors this past week in order to disinfect locker rooms, classrooms and buses. When the football players at Sherwood High School were not getting the message about washing their gear and heeding the warning not to share their jerseys, the school's medical staff warned the team to practice good hygiene. The results of not doing so could be deadly.

A new study published by the Journal of American Medical Association shows that a dangerous staph infection called MRSA infects over 94,000 people a year and kills more than AIDS. A highly contagious bacteria, the prevalence of MRSA has been spreading from the healthcare setting to the community. It is especially dangerous because the superbug has grown resistant to antibiotics. If it enters the bloodstream, it can lead to serious complications such as organ damage, pneumonia, septic shock and even death. The study supports the call to all hospitals, schools, sports teams and the community in general to take precautions to protect against this deadly illness. To learn more, click here.

Medical staff recently checked the Winchester High football team for symptoms of MRSA, a deadly form of staph infection. A teammate came down with the illness and the school wanted to make sure the infection did not spread throughout the team. MRSA is increasingly occurring in high school, college and professional team sports. Teams are urged to practice good equipment hygiene. To learn more, read the Boston Globe article by clicking here.