Montgomery, District Schools Report Seven New Cases

New drug-resistant staph infections have been reported this week in public schools in Montgomery County and in two charter schools in the District, bringing the total number of cases among students and educators in the region to at least 55.

The total includes cases in Anne Arundel and Howard counties in Maryland and in Alexandria and Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties in Virginia. In Montgomery, school officials said yesterday that eight cases of methicillin-resistant S taphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been reported since Thursday, for a total of 22.

Montgomery officials said 10 students are receiving treatment, and 12 others have recovered. The cases span at least 13 schools.

In a memo to its 58 member schools, the D.C. Public Charter School Board said yesterday that it knows of two staph cases: one at the SEED public charter school in Southeast, and another at the Arts and Technology Academy in Northeast. Both schools were closed for cleaning and are expected to reopen Thursday, a board spokesman said.

The charter board said it was waiting for more guidance from the city health department, but in the meantime, "regular hand-washing and otherwise good hygiene practices should be practiced in schools."

The charter board recommended that schools contact the board and talk to city health officials before deciding to close a school building.

Concern about MRSA has been mounting since a student from Northern Virginia died of the infection. The drug-resistant cases have prompted a new course of cleanups in locker rooms.

In Virginia, cases were also reported this week at C.D. Hylton High School and Old Bridge Elementary schools in Prince William County. The two students with the infection have been successfully treated, officials said.

Staff writer Maria Glod contributed to this report.