More Diagnosed With MRSA

Sunday, November 4th 2007, 4:27 pm

By: News On 6

For the second time in the past week, a student in Green Country has been diagnosed with MRSA, the drug-resistant staph infection. The News On 6â€™s Chris Wright reports officials say the student who has contracted MRSA attends Owasso High School. A Union Intermediate High School student was also diagnosed with it on Friday. Also, a woman who battled the bug and survived says at least all the attention will force people to take precautions.

"It was a nightmare. It made me very ill,â€ said MRSA survivor Nancy Duncan.

More than six months after recovering from the infection, Nancy Duncan still feels the effect of the superbug. She says her fight with it has left her constantly fatigued.

"It's kind of a chore to do laundry a few times a week. Just doing basic things I used to every day,â€ said MRSA survivor Nancy Duncan.

She came down with the drug-resistant staph infection after a gall-bladder procedure. She says it kept her in the hospital for more than a month, and left her with a stack of bills. Many for the expensive antibiotics required to treat MRSA.

"It cost a lot. You've reached your deductible and everything. You're still out $10,000 and more,â€ said MRSA survivor Nancy Duncan.

At least two more families in Green Country now have to deal with the contagious, and potentially fatal, infection. On Friday, parents in the Union school district were notified that a student had contracted it. Officials there say they have already begun cleaning classrooms and locker rooms the student may have used. And this weekend, a second new case was reported in Owasso.

On Saturday, officials at Owasso High School confirmed that one of their students is also suffering from MRSA, and is being treated for the infection.

While unfortunate, Nancy Duncan hopes the new cases will force everyone to be vigilant about the super-bug.

"It needs attention. I would have never dreamed that I would have caught something like that in a hospital,â€ said Nancy Duncan. The Centers for Disease Control says that of the more than 94,000 people who contracted MRSA infections in 2005, 18,650 died.

Officials say the best way to avoid the superbug is to wash your hands as often as possible.

Watch the video: Another Case Of MRSA Found

Related Stories:

10/4/2007 Doctors Warn About Dangerous Staph Infection

10/17/2007 Concerns About Drug-Resistant Staph Bacteria

11/02/2007 Student Dealing With Superbug

11/03/2007 A Second School District Dealing With MRSA