Jail isolates inmates with staph infection

Link: Jail isolates inmates with staph infection.

Two inmates at the Somerset County Jail are in isolation with what may be a Methicillin-resistant bacterial infection. MRSA infections are caused by strains of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (or staph) that are highly resistant to common antibiotics. Such infections can be life-threatening, although in most cases they are treatable. The two inmates were diagnosed with what appears to be a bacterial infection late Friday and after being treated at a local hospital are now back at the jail, according to Captain Stephen Giggey, jail administrator. While they are being isolated as if they have an MRSA infection, that diagnosis could not be confirmed Tuesday. Staphylococcus bacteria is very common, with about 25 to 30 percent of people carrying it on their skin or in their noses without suffering any ill effects. MRSA is much less common, with about 1 percent of people carrying it. Healthy people can carry the bacteria without any ill effects.