Cases of antibiotic-resistant infections that have cropped up in schools around North Carolina are not the sign of a major public-health worry, top state health officials said yesterday. School systems around the area have reported cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, in the past week.
MRSA is contagious and is most often spread through direct contact with an open, oozing wound or through sharing such personal items as towels, razors and clothing. Athletes, particularly those who participate in such contact sports as wrestling, are at higher risk for developing MRSA infections. State officials have been working with schools to get students to shower after working out and to avoid sharing towels and equipment.
Schools should also ask students to wash their hands regularly and cover wounds, said Dr. Leah Devlin, the state health director “It’s absolutely not necessary to close schools, or to cancel athletic events because MRSA has been diagnosed in a school or on a team,” Devlin said. “It would be like trying to disinfect the school to prevent the common cold.”
Devlin said that MRSA infections are not reported to the state because they are common. Although they are resistant to some anti­botics, they are treatable with others. State health officials- who yesterday gathered to talk to media about the coming flu season - noted that twice as many Americans die of seasonal flu.

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