It is still not clear where the students from Northampton Area High School picked up the infection, Superintendent Linda Firestone told media adding that she has sent a letter to parents Wednesday urging good hygiene practices to prevent spreading the infection.
The infection can be fatal if not treated. Staph infection seems to have caused the death of a Martin Luther King High School football player in Philadelphia last month.
According to information on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, kids should take include several measures to prevent MRSA It includes washing hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, keeping cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage, when one appears red or infected, see a doctor and avoid sharing items like towels or razors.
MRSA is spread by having direct contact with another person's infection, sharing personal items such as towels or razors that have touched infected skin, or by touching surfaces contaminated with MRSA, CDC said.
Within the past two weeks, students in Philadelphia, Montgomery and Northampton Counties have contracted the infection.
