MESA - The super staph infection known as MRSA has been reported in the Scottsdale Unified School District in the past month, district officials confirmed.
However, the district says that none of the cases have been serious enough to require hospitalization or keep the infected students home from school, said Tori Trahan, health services coordinator for the district.
Three students at Coronado High School, one at Zuni Elementary School and one at Laguna Elementary School were diagnosed with MRSA, or methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus.
The skin infection is a potentially deadly form of staph infection that is difficult to treat because it's resistant to certain types of antibiotics, medical officials have said.
Scottsdale sent home a letter to parents Thursday acknowledging the presence of MRSA.
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However, Trahan stressed that in most cases, patients don't have to be hospitalized and don't even need to be kept home as long as the infection is covered with a clean dressing.
"Is it a reason for concern? Absolutely. Is it a reason to panic? No," Trahan said. "People just need to be aware of it and get their kids to the doctor if they see a skin lesion."
MRSA infections often start out looking like a pimple or spider bite that get worse over time, Trahan said.
It's generally spread through skin-to-skin contact or by touching contaminated surfaces.
Trahan said MRSA has been present in Scottsdale schools before, but the district only started keeping track of cases this year after MRSA began receiving national media attention.
Scottsdale is not the only Arizona city where staph infections are cropping up.
In the Tempe Union High School District, McClintock High School confirmed a case of MRSA Wednesday.
Several cases have also been reported in the Tucson Unified School District, where affected schools have undergone intense cleaning to try and get rid of the disease, according to the Arizona Daily Star.
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