School disinfected after staph infection

AKRON (AP) — School officials had disinfectant sprayed over surfaces at a Northeast Ohio high school to ease concerns following a student’s hospitalization with an antibiotic-resistant staph infection.

The district paid $925 to disinfect the high school following a heated meeting Tuesday night with parents who demanded the cleaning, Springfield Superintendent William Stauffer said Wednesday.

The rest of the school buildings in the district also will be disinfected this week, he said.

A 16-year-old Springfield High School student has been hospitalized since Oct. 24 with serious complications from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. He remains in the intensive-care unit at Akron Children’s Hospital.

In the Buckeye school district in nearby Medina County, custodians disinfected the high school as a precaution Monday after school officials were notified by parents that a student was being treated for a possible MRSA infection, Superintendent Dennis Honkala said.

Parents in the district then were notified Wednesday after test results confirmed the student has MRSA, he said.

Warning signs of an MRSA infection can include a bump resembling a spider bite, and areas of the skin that are red, swollen, painful or leaking pus.

To avoid infection, health officials encourage frequent hand washing, covering open sores and avoiding sharing towels and clothing.