Confirmed Case of MRSA at Local High School

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MONROE, NC — A health concern at a high school in Union County.  Parents received a letter Thursday, warning them a Monroe High School student has contracted MRSA.

The highly contagious infection is resistant to antibiotics.  School officials tell WCCB Charlotte they’ve sanitized the infected student’s classrooms and don’t think anyone else is at risk.

“It brought a lot of concern to me,” said Monroe resident Rhonda Crowder, “because I didn’t know where it came from, and I know students are working on a lot of appliances and computers and more.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says MRSA starts as a bump that looks like a spider bite or infected area on the skin.  The affected skin may appear red, swollen, warn to the touch, or full of fluid.

MRSA is not airborne.  It spreads through skin-to-skin contact, or by touching something that’s been contaminated.