2008 Woodie Awards
Marist MRSA myths unfounded
Staph infection has not hit campus
Kaitlyn Smith
Issue date: 11/8/07 Section: Health
Recent media coverage of tragic deaths caused by Staphylococcus Aureus-Staph infection---has caused widespread concern regarding public health.
Rumors of an outbreak at Marist have begun to surface, raising student concern to an alarming level. Tim Massie, Marist's Chief Officer of Public Affairs, said such rumors are not true.
"For a community the size of Marist and with all the activity on campus, we have fortunately had few cases of infections," said Massie. "Unfortunately, news reports have whipped up fears that cause people to think there is an upcoming pandemic. That is not the case. "
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 30 percent of the population is colonized with Staph. This means that the bacterium is carried without any infection. Breaks in the skin allow bacteria in and are usually the cause of infection. Once this bacterium becomes resistant to antibiotics, it becomes the Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).
Mary Dunne has been a doctor in the Health Services Office for eight years and said that MRSA infections have been at Marist for three years.
"We see an average number of Staph infections for a college health service," said Dunne. "A small fraction of those are MRSA."
An e-mail sent out by Health Services states that outbreaks of MRSA are commonly found in communities or places where people gather in close quarters, such as schools. According to Dunne, athletes and those who use the McCann center often are the most at risk, but precautions taken by the staff of McCann and by the athletics department have prevented any type of outbreak.
The residential staff of Midrise Hall held an information meeting on Staph and MRSA this past Monday, November 5. At that meeting, 2006 Marist alumnae Kim Lauria, who currently attends St. Francis University to become a physician's assistant, gave students advice regarding the infection as well as ways to prevent and treat it.
Rumors of an outbreak at Marist have begun to surface, raising student concern to an alarming level. Tim Massie, Marist's Chief Officer of Public Affairs, said such rumors are not true.
"For a community the size of Marist and with all the activity on campus, we have fortunately had few cases of infections," said Massie. "Unfortunately, news reports have whipped up fears that cause people to think there is an upcoming pandemic. That is not the case. "
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 30 percent of the population is colonized with Staph. This means that the bacterium is carried without any infection. Breaks in the skin allow bacteria in and are usually the cause of infection. Once this bacterium becomes resistant to antibiotics, it becomes the Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).
Mary Dunne has been a doctor in the Health Services Office for eight years and said that MRSA infections have been at Marist for three years.
"We see an average number of Staph infections for a college health service," said Dunne. "A small fraction of those are MRSA."
An e-mail sent out by Health Services states that outbreaks of MRSA are commonly found in communities or places where people gather in close quarters, such as schools. According to Dunne, athletes and those who use the McCann center often are the most at risk, but precautions taken by the staff of McCann and by the athletics department have prevented any type of outbreak.
The residential staff of Midrise Hall held an information meeting on Staph and MRSA this past Monday, November 5. At that meeting, 2006 Marist alumnae Kim Lauria, who currently attends St. Francis University to become a physician's assistant, gave students advice regarding the infection as well as ways to prevent and treat it.
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