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Mt. Clemens Schools Closed Tuesday Due To MRSA Outbreak

MT. CLEMENS (WWJ) - Eleven Mount Clemens public schools are closed Tuesday due to an outbreak of MRSA.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is caused by a strain of staph bacteria that's become resistant to the antibiotics commonly used to treat ordinary staph infections. MRSA often begins as a painful skin boil, and is spread by skin-to-skin contact. At-risk populations include groups such as high school wrestlers, child care workers and people who live in crowded conditions.

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said the entire district needs to be cleaned after two staff members came down with a MRSA infection. One is a teacher, while the other is a substitute who worked in the infected teacher's classroom. Hackel said the buses must also be cleaned, because one of the sick staff members had been on a field trip.

Superintendent Deborah Wahlstrom told WWJ Newsradio 950 classes are expected to resume as normal on Wednesday.

"I am very confident that everything will be back to normal on Wednesday," she said. "When students come back Wednesday, we'll make sure that students are aware of what to look for, give them a little lesson on MRSA and we'll send information out to parents and post it on our website."

Parents can follow any updates on it situation on the Mount Clemens School District website.

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