October 22, 2007 — /PRNewswire/ — HUNT VALLEY, MD — As dozens of cases of MRSA [methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus], the drug-resistant staph bacterium, are being reported across the country, including the death of a 17-year-old Virginia high school student, some school districts are taking the proactive step of bringing in licensed environmental contractors to decontaminate the facilities. MARCOR Remediation Inc., a national contractor with offices throughout the U.S., is on standby to work with school districts that are either affected by an outbreak or wish to clean as a preventive measure.

“We have contracts in place with several large school districts that put us in the position to come to the aid of schools wishing to be cleaned,” says Steve Silicato, REM, CIE, vice president of MARCOR. MARCOR technicians have helped with other well known cleanups such as the anthrax decontamination of the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, DC and the American Media building, following the attack of 9/11. The company has also decontaminated nursing homes and other facilities infected with the Legionella bacterium.

“Some school districts feel more reassured working with professional contracting firms which hold required licenses and/or certifications and can perform the work with experienced personnel using the correct personal protective equipment,” Silicato explains.

According to a new government study, more than 90,000 Americans contract potentially deadly infections each year from the drug-resistant staph germ called the “superbug,” with the numbers rising rapidly. Deaths tied to these infections among those who are extremely ill or medically frail may exceed those caused by AIDS, said one public health expert, commenting on the new study. The official term for the potentially lethal, antibiotic-resistant germ is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

An MRSA staph infection may first appear on the skin as a red, swollen pimple or boil, which may be painful or have pus. The germ can be spread by close skin-to skin contact or by touching contaminated surfaces. Good hygiene is the best way to avoid infection. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer the following suggestions:

• Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand cleaner.
• Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed.
• Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or bandages.
• Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors.

Prevention is key. MARCOR Remediation, Inc., a nationwide environmental contractor with 14 offices, routinely performs decontamination of surfaces, ducts, and HVAC systems in public and private schools, nursing homes, hospitals, commercial properties, industrial plants, and government buildings. Biological hazard projects have also included mold, blood-borne pathogens (post office homicide), and other threats to occupants’ health and safety. Further information is available on MARCOR’s services at 877-6-MARCOR or at www.marcor.com.

Source: MARCOR Remediation, Inc.