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CU-Boulder reports 8 cases of staph infection

Rocky Mountain News

Published October 22, 2007 at midnight

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BOULDER — The University of Colorado health clinic has treated eight cases of MRSA, or Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, since Aug. 17.

The eight students are back in class and appear to have no side effects, according to a CU press release issued this morning.

The cases are classified as community-related, as opposed to health-care related.

News reports out of Virginia last week focused on health care-associated MRSA, which occurs among patients who have undergone surgery or who have weakened immune systems and are being treated in hospitals and facilities such as nursing homes and dialysis centers.

CU is cleaning all residence hall restrooms with a hospital-grade disinfectant, and notices are going up in CU Recreation Center and in the team facilities used by student-athletes.

Two of the eight students who were infected live in dorms and six live off campus, according to a CU press releases.

The eight cases among CU-Boulder students, while not a high number, is higher than usual for the academic year to date, said Dr. Pam Talley, lead physician in the medical clinic at CU-Boulder's Wardenburg Health Center.

The CU-Boulder cases do not represent an outbreak and the majority of the eight cases do not appear to be related to each other, according to the CU press release.

Typically the CU-Boulder campus health center treats about six cases in a year, Talley said. The increase at CU-Boulder appears to be part of state and national increases in reported cases of community-associated MRSA over the last several years. Reported cases of community-associated MRSA are on the rise throughout the country.

All of the CU-Boulder students treated at Wardenburg Health Center have responded well to treatment and have been able to attend classes and function normally, showing no signs of side effects from the infection or their treatment, Dr. Talley said.

However, anyone who has a persistent, recurring or aggressive skin lesion should see a health care provider.

For more information on MRSA infections, please call the Wardenburg Health Center information line at (303) 492-8741 or visit the following links:

Wardenburg Health Center Web page: http://www.colorado.edu/healthcenter/