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Two MRSA infections prompt closure of Mt. Clemens School District

The MRSA bacteria, usually found in hospital settings, was found in samples of meat taken from Detroit-area supermarkets and meat markets.
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The MRSA bacteria, usually found in hospital settings, was found in samples of meat taken from Detroit-area supermarkets and meat markets.

The Mount Clemens Community School District is closed Tuesday due to reports of two methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infections. According to the Detroit Free Press, a teacher and teacher aide were diagnosed with MRSA on Monday. 

School is expected to re-open on Wednesday after custodians disinfect buildings and buses today at the 1600-student district, today said Superintendent Deborah Wahlstrom.

Kevin Lokar is the medical director of the Macomb county health department. He says Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus is "a normal bacteria that is present on most peoples skin and generally in healthy people it doesn't cause any problems but sometimes if there is a break in the skin it can cause an infection."

Lokar says the district went above and beyond by closing the school so that it could be sanitized today.

"This is not a super bug. It is not any more infectious and it is not any more likely to cause disease than normal staph aureus."

Tips for preventing MRSA infections can be found on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. School athletes may be at particular risk for contracting skin infections like MRSA.  

The district's facilities are expected to be reopened on Wednesday.

-Julia Field and Lindsay Hall, Michigan Radio Newsroom

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