Owosso High School in Michigan the Latest to Be Infected with MRSA

Owosso High School of Owosso, Michigan, is the latest school in Michigan to have the scare of MRSA. MRSA is an antibiotic resistant staph infection that is spreading primarily in schools and hospitals due to the easy transfer by just having contact to another's skin. This infection gets into the bloodstream causing severe illness and can be fatal.

Greg Gray, the superintendent for Owosso schools, received the call around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday after the parents of the student reported the deadly infection. Students were instructed to report to school the next day until further notice. Later that night, the local ABC news station reported that Owosso High School would be closed Friday.

"It wasn't an easy decision," Gray said. "We've never had to disinfect any of our entire buildings. The high school is 220,000 square feet. We had to close it down."

One local rock radio station poked fun at the school as one caller called in to put the situation on the "Gay List" during the afternoon broadcast. They cited that Owosso is "acting like it's something new and made a big deal about it." Most staph infections can be treated with antibiotics. However, the site of a resistant infection can often resemble a spider bite.

"When it comes to a student body, infections are easily passed. We had to take caution because if it were to spread, it could be potentially dangerous to the school and the community," Greg stressed.

Even if the school remained open, the likelihood that there would be an extreme amount of absences would be high.

"Parents would keep their children at home until the school was cleared of infection. Technically with so many potential absences, the day wouldn't be counted towards the yearly requirements," he explained.

Some students of Owosso High School took the report in stride while others became worried if they had come in contact with the unnamed carrier of MRSA.

"I was taking my ACTs sitting next to a girl who was getting sick and it worried me when the case was reported that she may have been the one to have it," local student Katie Brooke said.

Earlier in the week, another Flint greater area reported a case of MRSA. The Kearsley school district remained open and followed procedures for disinfecting and cleaning. The district also issued letters that described actions being taken and what can be done to prevent further spreading.

Simple tips to stay clean of any bacteria, including MRSA, is to always wash the hands. Schools should take caution and be sure to clean highly populated areas such as locker rooms and areas where skin is being exposed. Disinfecting buses is also a precaution as kids frequently touch all the seats around them.