By Sherry F. Pruitt

JONESBORO -- Proactivity is the best weapon against staph infection, according to a local health care professional.

At least three additional confirmed student cases of staphylococcus aureus and four unconfirmed cases were reported Tuesday to officials at the Westside School District.

Nurses at the schools have been monitoring students daily, said Superintendent Dr. James Best.

Two of the confirmed cases were reported in kindergarten classes, and the other was a ninth-grader.

In addition, a high school senior and a freshman both were scheduled for doctor visits on Tuesday for a culture to determine whether they were infected, Best said.

One case was diagnosed as impetigo, while a questionable case could have been poison ivy.

"Impetigo is usually staph-induced," said LISA SHEFELTON, Advanced Practice Nurse and director of the Arkansas State University Health Center.

Eleven cases from the Westside elementary and middle school levels were reported last week, followed by the school closing Friday so that the maintenance and custodial staffs could disinfect the schools, Best said.

Shefelton emphasized that the best precaution people can take against staph is handwashing.

"It's as simple as that," she said.

She also advised officials to clean athletic equipment and weight rooms three times a week with a disinfectant or a bleach-water solution.

"You clean the equipment well, and it's good hygiene ...," Shefelton said.

If a person does come in contact with staph, it is less likely to be infectious if it is washed off.

"It doesn't mean that you shouldn't shake hands after a game," she said.

If team players feel they cannot shake hands, then they also should not pump gas, use grocery store carts or keyboards, she said, emphasizing washing hands after all work and activities.

Hand sanitizers also will protect against germs associated with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus or MRSA, as well as influenza even though MRSA is a "very strong bacteria that's easily passed," the director said.

Stefelton said she sees one to two cases of MRSA each month at the ASU Health Center, with many students thinking they've been spider-bitten.

But at Arkansas State, she has tried to take a proactive approach lecturing to athletic trainers and coaches.

"We've tried to be ahead of the game," she said. "You increase your knowledge, and you decrease diseases and symptoms."

Shefelton added that MRSA is not a reportable disease, meaning cases do not have to be reported to the county health department or to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta.

The superintendent said nurses at the schools will continue to monitor students daily and report to him.

"If it continues we'll probably re-group and re-evaluate," Best said, adding that administrators feel as if they are doing the right thing by being open with and trying to educate the public.

Dr. Carl Abraham of Infectious Disease and Control Consultants of Jonesboro is scheduled to make a presentation on staph to Westside parents at 6 p.m. Thursday. Individuals from outside the district are invited to attend.

Officials from other districts in Jonesboro, including Jonesboro, Nettleton and Valley View, said Tuesday that they have not been notified of cases on those campuses.

sherry@jonesborosun.com