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| Staph Infections Hit Tenn. Jail |
| By Gomemphis.com |
| Published: 07/02/2003 |
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The Shelby County jail can now tack on an outbreak of staph infection to its already grim reputation. Officials have confirmed six cases of inmates infected with the staph bacterium MRSA, which is resistant to some antibiotics, including penicillin. The number infected has been fluctuating, said chief jailer Joe Ponte. It's been as low as two and hasn't topped 20. Health Department officials are keeping close tabs on the jail, spokesman Brenda Ward said. 'We're very concerned about it,' she said. 'It could definitely escalate and become a bigger problem.' To get a handle on the flare-up, health officials are treating and isolating infected inmates, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Shular. 'Anytime you're congregating in close-knit situations - like a jail - it can pass easily from one person to the next.' Inmates have been changing their sheets and showering more frequently to fend off the infection, he said. MRSA - methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - is not airborne and is spread by physical contact, said infectious disease specialist Stephen Threlkeld. Staph bacteria are commonly found on the skin and nose, but many people will go a lifetime without being infected, he said. Some get skin infections and boils but only a few get serious infections, he said. Anytime there's a large group of people with any type of infection, it can spread, he said. 'That's why they have to separate people with it,' he said. 'If you do that aggressively and get all those people to the side, it won't be a problem anymore.' Those infected can be treated with topical antibiotics, Threlkeld said. Those with boils will need to have them drained. In the last year, jails nationwide have seen the problem, Shular said. 'But it's not common for this jail to have a major disease floating about,' he said. 'It's not common at all.' Many times the inmates have the infection before they come in, Shular said. 'But it doesn't seem to be a major outbreak,' he said. The facility, which has seen improvement under court supervision, has had health issues in the past, such as inmates bitten by brown recluse spiders. |
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