SAN ANTONIO – Some parents who contacted News 4 WOAI anonymously say they’re concerned about children’s safety at the Crestholme Branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio. These parents learned a child who attends camp at the center was diagnosed with a staph called Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Parents say they were advised the sick child had a boil on his skin, and was at the center, around other children, when it burst. That child’s parents called the Club’s advising them the youngster was diagnosed with MRSA.
“We were made aware of it Thursday morning,” said Jim Watson, Executive Director of Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio. “The parent had obviously kept that young person home.”
One parent who wrote News 4 WOAI is concerned MRSA infections can be fatal. She says she’s upset kids exposed to the sick child were only told to wash their hands.
“I don’t want the parents to be alarmed,” Watson said.
Watson is assuring parents workers at the Crestholme branch too quick action to reduce the risk of infection.
“We redoubled our efforts to sanitize our equipment and our bathrooms. We have pool tables and things like that where there’ are kids touching, so we re-sanitized.”
Watson says he didn't find it necessary to alert parents about this individual MRSA case. He says administrators consulted with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC says MRSA transmission can be prevented by simple measures as hand hygiene, and does not deem it necessary to alert the community over an individual case.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio is responding to the health concern in a vigilant manner by speaking with all its staff and taking extra precautions to thoroughly clean its centers.
As for the sick child, doctors gave the youngster strict orders to stay at home. The child will not be allowed to attend camp until doctors give a clean bill of health.
As News 4 WOAI’s reported in the past, there is no state law requiring doctors to report MRSA cases. San Antonio Metro Health is trying to change that. Earlier this year, the organization tracked the number of MRSA cases in Bexar County. It showed 600 of them were confirmed in just 30 days. That’s around 20 cases a day.
