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| Attorney nearly loses arm to jail infection |
| By Palm Beach Post |
| Published: 04/05/2004 |
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An outbreak of a potent staph infection at the Palm Beach County (Fla.) Jail is no longer isolated to just inmates: An assistant public defender contracted the disease. Last Thursday, the jail was being scrubbed from ceiling to floor with a bleach solution while sheriff's deputies at the downtown courthouse were equipped with disinfectant spray and antibacterial lotion. The assistant public defender, Carol Bickerstaff, contracted the highly infectious bacteria known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in January and almost lost her right arm. Bickerstaff eventually had surgery to drain the infection and is back at work. Her boss, Public Defender Carey Haughwout, said her office was warned about the staph outbreak at the jail last week, but jail officials should have notified her sooner. "I have a concern they have been on notice about it for awhile and have not taken corrective action until now," Haughwout said. The county health department has documented 339 cases of the staph infection at the jail since September. The health department told jail officials to culture all inmate wounds in December. Shortly thereafter, the health department declared an outbreak of staph, which usually manifests itself as open or closed pustules on the skin. The bacteria can be passed by touching, on clothing or on shared surfaces, such as a bathroom floor. MRSA is resistant to most antibiotics. Sheriff spokesman Paul Miller said he doesn't know whether it was the department's duty to inform the Public Defender's Office of the outbreak. He said the infection wasn't considered widespread at first and he feels it is still small at a jail with a 2,100-inmate capacity. |
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