Florida school bus drivers linked to Superbug Spread
Pastor Dale Morgan
Florida school bus drivers linked to Superbug Spread*
Posted on Mon, Oct. 22, 2007
BY KATHLEEN McGRORY
Two Miami-Dade County school bus drivers have reported symptoms of a
drug-resistant staph infection, schools officials said Monday.
The reports come on the heels of two other suspected cases of the
illness, both of which are linked to Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
One involved a student at Homestead Senior High School. The other
involved a staff member at Sunset Elementary in Coral Gables.
''We're working very closely with the health department and following
their advice on the issue,'' said John Schuster, a spokesman for the
Miami-Dade County Public Schools. ``We're taking every precaution to
ensure the safety of our students and staff.''
The bacteria, known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or
MRSA, has evolved to become resistant to some antibiotics. It is the
same kind of infection that killed a Virginia teenager earlier this month.
Still, experts say this form of staph can be treated, and is not serious
in most people. A Deerfield Beach Middle School student who contracted
the illness last week was at home recovering.
The bus drivers, school district employees, are assigned to Central West
Transportation, one of the district's regional bus centers. It was not
immediately clear which schools they serviced.
They had been taken off their bus routes late Monday, Schuster said.
The buses were sanitized to prevent the spread of the infection.