Wantagh school district: Staff member being treated for MRSA

A Wantagh High School staff member diagnosed with the bacterial infection known as MRSA is home being treated with antibiotics, said Maureen Goldberg, superintendent of Wantagh Union Free School District.

In a letter to parents dated Thursday, Goldberg said, "it is not possible to determine where the staph infection was contracted."

Basic precautionary measures that faculty and students should take include personal hygiene activity, such as frequent hand washing, she said. The district is taking steps to prevent the infection's spread, including "a thorough cleaning of the school premises with a disinfectant that is effective in eliminating MRSA."

Also, "any student with an open wound or sore should be evaluated by a health care provider to ensure that it is being treated appropriately," she said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, "is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to several antibiotics. In the general community, MRSA can cause skin and other infections."

It's spread through direct contact or by sharing personal items that have touched infected skin.

MRSA is most commonly displayed as a bump or infected area of skin that can appear red, swollen, full of pus, with it feeling painful and warm to the touch, the CDC says.