FLOYD COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
“Home of the Buffaloes”
721 Baker Street S.W.
Floyd, VA 24091-0199
Phone (540) 745-9450
Fax (540) 745-9481
Tony Deibler, Principal
Clay Moran, Assistant Principal
Jessica Cromer, CTE Director/Assistant Principal
August 1, 2011
Dear Parent/Guardian:
I am sending this letter to communicate facts and information regarding Methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of “staph” bacteria. Staphylococcus
aureus bacteria are commonly found on human skin and in noses. These resistant strains
are increasingly common across the nation, the state, and in southwest Virginia, signaling
our need to be more diligent in taking some common sense steps—like regular hand
washing, showering after contact sports, and not sharing personal items—to protect
ourselves and our families.
Staph bacteria are identified as one of the most common causes of skin infections.
Medical experts estimate that as many as 30% of us carry staph bacteria on our skin or
nasal passages, and many do so without getting sick. Even among those that get an
infection, relatively few require antibiotics or experience more severe symptoms.
MRSA is one of the strains of staph that is antibiotic-resistant and is of concern. Formerly
more common in hospital settings, similar bacteria are now more prevalent in the
community as a whole. This problem will likely persist. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (the CDC) has investigated clusters of “community acquired”
MRSA skin infections among athletes, military recruits, children, Pacific Islanders,
Alaskan Natives, Native Americans and prisoners.
Most staph bacteria are spread by material from another person’s wet or draining
infections that enter the body through a break in someone else’s skin and cause infection
there. That is why it is so important to cover infected cuts and scrapes with a bandage to
prevent other people from contacting the bacteria that are in the draining infection.
The illnesses caused by MRSA are the same as those caused by other staph bacteria.
Symptoms include redness, warmth, pus, and a wound that does not heal. Such sores are
often mistaken for “spider bites.” MRSA can occur in people who have close contact
with a person carrying the bacteria or by touching objects contaminated with MRSA (e.g.
clothes, towels, bedding, athletic equipment, benches in saunas or hot tubs, bandages).
An Equal Opportunity Employer
The Floyd County School Board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin,
political affiliation, gender, age, marital status, or disability in its educational programs, admission to any
program, or employment.
The best ways to protect yourself against MRSA are to practice good hygiene and to
cover exposed cuts and wounds.
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Wash your hands often, especially when exposed to someone with an infection or
when you touch objects that may be contaminated.
Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered.
Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, sports equipment, razors, water
bottles, etc.
Shower after any contact sports or after working out in a public facility: change
into clean clothes and wash practice or work out clothes after each use.
Children that have draining wounds that cannot be easily contained by dressings
should be excused from sports participation and, in some cases, should be kept
home from school until the draining stops or is easily contained, particularly if
MRSA infection is known or suspected.
If a sore or cut becomes red, oozes, causes pain or isn’t healing, see a doctor.
Don’t insist on antibiotics for colds or other viruses.
If prescribed antibiotics, take all the pills, even if you feel better before they are
all gone.
Report any suspicious wounds to your coach, athletic trainer, or school nurse
immediately.
In otherwise healthy people, most minor wounds, even infected ones, will heal on their
own and do not need antibiotics. Wounds can be helped to heal by keeping them clean,
changing dressings when they become soiled and, if needed, periodically applying a dry
heat compress over the dressing. If you have a wound that is not healing or you think
you have staph or MRSA infection, contact your health care provider. Most often your
doctor will want to culture the wound to identify the germ. Wound cultures are becoming
increasingly important so doctors can identify what is causing an infection that is not
healing well on its own. Sometimes your doctor may recommend an antibiotic, but many
of these infections will heal themselves without antibiotics as long as any pus is drained
and good hygienic wound care is practiced.
Additional information on MRSA can be found on the Virginia Department of Health’s
Web site at: http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/Epidemiology/factsheet/Methicillin.html.
Travis Cantrell
Athletic Director
Floyd County High School
An Equal Opportunity Employer
The Floyd County School Board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin,
political affiliation, gender, age, marital status, or disability in its educational programs, admission to any
program, or employment.