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| MRSA Cases in Michigan County Jail |
| By The Sentinel-Standard |
| Published: 11/07/2005 |
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At least three inmates who were or currently are lodged at the Ionia County Jail are infected with the potentially fatal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria, the same infection which caused the deaths of two inmates in Calhoun County Jail earlier this year. Known as a “community-onset” infection, MRSA is spread by direct contact with infected individuals, such as touching, and sometimes indirect contact such as handling the same items or using the same unwashed clothes. Jail Administrator Deb Thalison said jail staff recently completed a set of voluntary MRSA awareness training programs aimed at teaching staff how to identify MRSA victims, ensure they receive treatment and how to control its transfer to other inmates. Thalison declined to comment on specific cases at the jail, citing HIPAA laws, but confirmed there was a concern about MRSA at the facility. She said all known victims have been treated and that there is no worry of an outbreak at the jail. “It's been controlled,” Thalison said. She said the condition is usually identified before the inmates go to housing and that it is treatable. Although anyone can contract MRSA, the bacteria grows more efficiently in or on a person with poor hygiene and a weakened immune system. Some offenders who arrive at the jail who carry MRSA often have both contributing factors. Thalison said Ionia County Jail has not seen increased cases because the facility is kept sanitary well beyond state corrections standards. Since the bacteria is fairly easy to transmit, a community setting such as a jail where poor personal hygiene is not always remedied often become viable homes to MRSA outbreaks. Ionia County Undersheriff Dale Miller said all the inmates who had MRSA contracted it before arriving at the jail. MRSA usually appears in the form of a blister or boil and can affect wounds, burns, eyes, skin and blood. The infection may progress to life-threatening blood or bone infections or pneumonia, which was the case with two inmates at the Calhoun County Jail. The best way to prevent the spread of MRSA, according to the CDC Web site, is proper hygiene, including careful hand-washing. Since MRSA was found in inmates at the jail two victims were released. A third did not qualify for early release and remains at the jail. |
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