In response to growing concern surrounding a specific type of staph infection, Gov. Tim Kaine enacted an emergency regulation that requires state laboratories to report all invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections to the Virginia Department of Health.
Staphylococcus aureus, also known as staph, is a common form of bacteria often found on the skin and in the nose and is one of the most common causes of skin infections, according to the VDH Web site. MRSA has made headlines recently as it is an antibiotic-resistant form of staph infection that resulted in the death of a Bedford County, Va. high school student Oct. 15. More than 20 schools in surrounding areas of Virginia were shut down in order to prevent the spread of the infection through cleaning efforts.
Kaine's emergency regulation aims to help VDH focus on monitoring public health.
"What the new regulation will help us with is to hear about the more severe cases from labs," State Epidemiologist Dr. Carl Armstrong said. "'Severe' is when the organism is found in any part of the body that would not normally have any bacteria associated with it -- heart tissue, lung tissue, brain tissue, spinal fluid. If MRSA is found there, then it is very serious."
Parents in Bedford and throughout the Commonwealth have responded quickly, demanding action to prevent outbreaks. Some schools were closed for fumigation and extensive cleaning.
While shutting down schools was an understandable measure, there has been an overemphasis on the high school environment as the reason for the outbreak, according to Amrstrong.
"Most of [MRSA] is transmitted from person to person," Armstrong said. "It's important to have clean locker rooms and benches ... [but] MRSA is not going to jump off the top of the locker or the window or the blinds or anything like that."
The emergency regulation will likely have a large impact in the more rural regions of the state, but it will not greatly affect the University Health System because MRSA is already tracked closely, according to Joe Chance, director of general medicine at Student Health.
"Heretofore, MRSA has not been a reportable disease," Chance said. "Now those numbers will be given to [the Virginia Department of Health] so that if the department sees a spike in the outbreaks, they can investigate it."
The VDH Web site recommends washing hands frequently, keeping cuts clean and covered and not sharing personal items such as towels as steps to prevent contracting MRSA.
Read More
Students call for the University to reject the Trump administration’s Compact
By Brendon Bordwine and Brandon Kile | 16 hours agoDickerson said that these provisions may affect student self-governance at the University, transgender community members and student protestors, among others.
LIVE TRACKER: Who’s signed the Compact?
By Lucia Gambacini and Cecilia Mould | 17 hours agoHere is a look at the decisions peer institutions have made, and the status of the University’s decision.
Lawsuit says Craig Kent, Melina Kibbe led ‘hostile takeover’ of U.Va. Health
By Cecilia Mould and Ford McCracken | 17 hours agoThe alleged racketeering scheme, coined the “Kent Enterprise” in the suit, alleges that Kent and other named doctors prioritized revenue and ranking over patient safety.
