MARITZA MESTRE
Gargoyle staff reporter
Posted Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007

WASH YOUR HANDS, don’t share drinks, don’t share food, don’t share brushes, and cover open wounds.

MRSA infection can be spread from any number of these forms of contact. No more “sharing is caring,” because what seems like a friendly gesture could ultimately be a sharing of disease.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA, has received national attention in recent weeks after a federal report estimated that the staph bacteria are responsible for almost 19,000 deaths a year, more than AIDS.

Schools have been closed in Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia to allow cleaning crews to disinfect buses, lockers, and classrooms. Student deaths from the bacteria were reported in Mississippi, New Hampshire, Virginia, and New York.

We’ve all caught disease from friends. And I know I’ve infected my fair share of people as well. So whether you’re a carrier or a recipient, disease is all around.

At a small school like Uni, disease travels fast. Last year there was one week where someone new in my class was absent every day. Uni students do many things together and, unfortunately, getting sick is one of them. I recall sitting in biology last year and listening to teacher David Stone remark on how Uni is a building designed perfectly for spreading disease.

Compared to years ago it seems as though people are well aware of personal hygiene. I myself have been a germ-a-phobic since I was 5 years old. After learning how it felt to fall ill I didn’t want to chance feeling like that again.

I wash and sanitize my hands even after I have just done one or the other. The possibility of avoiding sickness seems worth the trouble of carrying a bottle of hand sanitizer around.

America seems so caught up in eliminating germs. I see dozens of commercials advertising bacteria killing products. There is a huge industry trying to market products to “keep you healthy,” but students at Uni don’t even bother to clean out the microwaves in the kitchen where who knows how much bacteria resides.

We seem to be so caught up in staying away from anything that could make us sick but willingly subject ourselves to health-hazardous things regularly.

As a child I was terrified to share food or drinks with anyone. My elders had pounded it into me that if I did share food I would get sick. Period. Today I automatically ask my friends if they want a bite of this or a sip of that whenever we eat together. Some people beg or sneak food when someone isn’t watching. In a school of moochers, preventing disease may be difficult.

It is my experience that whenever someone is sick they steer clear of too much contact with others for a week or so after their recovery. The same is true when there’s an outbreak of sickness.

For the first few days people are really cautious in preventing disease, but after they stop hearing about the bug as much they slowly slip back into their old habits. If students don’t think something is going to harm them they don’t think about avoiding it.

A common question I hear before someone shares food is, “Are you sick?” If the answer is “No,” you may not be as safe as you think. Numerous times I’ve caught a cold from a friend who did not know she was sick until several days after she was infected. It’s both frustrating and embarrassing.

Falling ill from something that could have been so blatantly prevented is never fun. Regardless, my friends and I fall right back into our pattern once everyone is healthy again.

As any outbreak does, MRSA has stirred up a great deal of commotion and fear. I hear about it at school, at sports practice, and in the news. People everywhere seem to know what MRSA is, while two days ago I myself had never heard of it. How big will this infection become? And will America be ready for its full effect?

[Note: An earlier version of this column appeared as an entry in the Gargoyle staff blog.]