WASHINGTON-An 11-year-old girl who died on Feb. 12 was found to have MRSA, a drug-resistant staph infection.
The girl, who attended Bunker Hill Elementary School, was hospitalized with an unrelated illness, but after her death, she tested positive for MRSA.
It is not known if her death was caused by or connected to the infection.
Washington, D.C. Department of Health officials say students at Bunker Hill are in no more danger of contracting the infection than other students.
MRSA does not respond to penicillin and related antibiotics, but can be treated with other drugs. The infection can look like an infected pimple or boil and often can be mistaken as a spider or insect bite. The infection can spread by skin-to-skin contact or sharing an item (razors, soap, clothing, etc) with an infected person, particularly one with a runny nose or open wound.
