NICHOLAS J. PIRRO 
County Executive 
COUNTY OF ONONDAGA HEALTH DEPARTMENT 
John H. Mulroy Civic Center 
421 Montgomery Street 
Syracuse, New York 13202 
www.ongov.net 
CYNTHIA B. MORROW, MD, MPH 
Commissioner of Health 
October 18, 2007 
Dear Parent/Guardian, 
As you may recently have heard, there have been several cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus 
aureus (MRSA) reported in schools in Onondaga County. The Onondaga County Health Department 
(OCHD) is working with the involved schools to minimize any risk to children and to school employees. 
Because of the wide-spread attention to the issue, school superintendents and the OCHD feel that it is 
important that all families be provided with the same information about the infection and about things that 
you can do to prevent this infection. 
Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is a germ (bacterium) that frequently causes skin infections. Methicillin-
resistant staph aureus is a strain that is resistant to certain antibiotics. MRSA was first identified more than 
40 years ago and has steadily been increasing in frequency across the country. 
Staph infections are usually spread from one person to another by close skin-to-skin contact, usually 
through contaminated hands. Community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) most commonly causes skin 
infections (pimple, boil, or pustule) but can sometimes also cause more significant soft tissue infections 
(furoncle or cellulitis). If medical treatment is indicated and an appropriate antibiotic is prescribed, almost 
all superficial skin infections heal. In rare cases, particularly in a person who has other medical conditions, 
more serious infection can occur. MRSA skin infections are usually not worse than typical staph infections 
in previously healthy school children. If you have any concerns about your child’s health, you should 
contact your health care provider. 
The simplest and most important measure to prevent the spread of staph infections is to use good personal 
hygiene, which consists of handwashing, proper care of skin injuries and skin infections, and avoiding 
sharing personal items such as razors, headgear and towels. Children who do have MRSA infections 
should be allowed to go to school as long as they are not ill and as long as the wound can be fully covered 
by bandages. Environmental clean-up is rarely indicated. 
We have included with this letter the New York State Department of Health CA-MRSA fact sheets. We 
will continue to work with school districts to investigate outbreaks and disseminate educational materiel to 
curb the spread of these persistent infections. 
Sincerely, 
Cynthia B. Morrow, MD, MPH 
Commissioner 
Onondaga County Health Department