Best defense against illness:

Every fall and winter Glendale schools as well as schools across the country remind parents of the cold and flu season and how to help their children remain healthy. This year the California Department of Education is also focusing on staph infections, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

“This (MRSA) is the hot topic,” said Glendale district nurse Lynda Burlison.

The staph infection has been in the media lately since several students across the country have contracted it. “It is nothing new but the fact that a student died back east makes us feel more vulnerable which is why we [at the district] decided to take the steps we did and send out notices to parents.”

Burlison’s office sent out notices to parents throughout the district that explains influenza and other types of infection. The goal is to help parents understand the infections that are in schools this season and to help them take the proper precautions, Burlison said.

According to the California Department of Public Health website, staph bacteria are one of the most common causes of skin infections. Most infections are minor and can be treated without antibiotics but staph can also be serious as in pneumonia. The MRSA infection, until recently, was found in hospitals but new stronger strains have made their way into communities. The infection spreads through direct contact with people or contaminated surfaces. Schools provide the perfect opportunity for this infection to spread. The concern about this stronger strain of infection is that it is resistant to antibiotics.

Staph infection can appear as pimples, boils or spider bites that take a long time to heal. It is important, Burlison said, to keep all cuts and abrasions covered and clean.

This tends to be easier in elementary schools where bandages are fun to wear; the older students are a little harder to convince.

“Athletic areasare where it is most easily transmitted,” Burlison said. “We talked to all the coaches at the high schools to be aware of [this infection] and be diligent in cleaning the equipment.”

The best defense against a cold, flu or any infection is something everyone learned in kindergarten. “Keep washing your hands,” she said. “Don’t share towels or personal items, keep cuts clean and covered with a bandage and shower after physical activity and keep washing your hands.”