Treatment was successful and no other cases have been reported.
By: Donna Lukiw
A Hillsborough High School student athlete was recently diagnosed with a case of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus known as MRSA a type of bacteria that is resistant to treatment with common antibiotics.
The student has been successfully treated and no others have reported infection at this time.
"Please be advised that our one athlete with the diagnosed case of MRSA is just fine, has received a clean bill of health from a team of doctors and is now back in school and playing sports here in Hillsborough," schools Superintendent Karen Lake said.
MRSA can be fatal if left untreated, and was initially called the "flesh-eating disease" because of the abscesses it can cause.
Common symptoms of MRSA are fever, redness, local swelling, inflammation of the skin, blistered lesions or open, crusty wounds, infection of hair follicle (like a pimple), deeper infection below hair follicle (similar to an in-grown hair), abscess, boils, something that often looks like a spider or insect bite, pus-filled mass below the skin and a pre-existing cut that becomes infected.
According to the New Jersey Department of Health, contaminated hands most often spread MRSA to others and is often spread through skin-to-skin contact, sharing towels, equipment and other commonly shared surfaces, making outbreaks among athletes common. Two Camden County high schools have reported outbreaks of MRSA among athletes this month.
If a person has cuts, scrapes, open wounds, or skin trauma such as turf burns or shaving nicks they are more likely to contract MRSA.
Although it is most commonly acquired in hospitals and nursing homes it is becoming more common in community settings such as schools and daycare centers.
Superintendent Lake advised Hillsborough parents through the district’s e-mail on Wednesday afternoon to be aware of this skin disease and to take action if their child is infected.
"When the bacteria was confirmed, we contacted the Hillsborough Health Department, an infectious disease medical specialist and nursing staff at the high school," Dr. Lake said in the letter. "We additionally disinfected the weight room and the locker rooms. Our equipment in the weight room continues to be cleaned on an ongoing basis with heavy duty wipes and all athletes were instructed to bring their individual equipment home for additional cleaning."

