Well, as bizarro world as the “Norwegian Child Expert” is, I suspect it is yet another version of foreigners who are creating THIS situation here in The Nation’s Capital:
http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=703&sid=1271054
WASHINGTON — The same type of staph infection that killed a Virginia high school student this week is now being reported in several Montgomery County and Fairfax County schools.
The latest case of Methicillin-Resistant Staph Aureus — or MRSA — was reported at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda on Monday. Principal Alan Goodwin sent a letter to parents informing them that a student was diagnosed with the infection.
Approximately 13 students, mostly athletes, have been diagnosed with MRSA, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jerry Weast wrote Wednesday in a letter to parents.
Eight schools — Sherwood, Whitman, Poolesville, Quince Orchard and Rockville High schools and Laytonsville, Damascus and Candlewood Elementary schools — have reported cases of MRSA, Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman Brian Edwards says.
In Fairfax County, there have been six cases of MRSA reported, a school spokesman says. Students at Thomas Jefferson and Fairfax High schools and Robinson Secondary School are among the reported cases.
MRSA is a strain of staph bacteria that does not respond to penicillin and related antibiotics but can be treated with other drugs. The infection can be spread by skin-to-skin contact or sharing an item used by an infected person, particularly one with an open wound or runny nose, such as razors, soap, clothing, or towels.
Weast says all of the infected students are being treated with antibiotics.
Officials are taking additional steps at schools with suspected or confirmed MRSA cases. Locker rooms, weight rooms and physical education areas are being cleaned with a 1 to 10 bleach solution and disinfectant wipes are being provided to students.
Jon Almquist, an administrator with Fairfax County Public Schools Athletic Training Program says the best way to avoid transmission is to “always wash your hands.”
Students should also make sure “any break in your skin is appropriately covered and you don’t come in contact with anyone’s open wound,” Almquist says.
School athletes should also take special precautions.
“Be careful of sharing things like water bottles,” Almquist says.
Other steps to prevent the spread of MRSA include:
Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed
Avoid contact with other people’s wounds and bandages
Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors
Wipe surfaces of exercise equipment before and after use
Well, I would add to that: check the parents and children’s immigration & health documents — not likely given that schools no longer do that.
Health records are required for entry in MD, DC, and VA public schools.