Thursday night, we first told you about a Sioux Falls O'Gorman high school football player being treated for a severe staph infection. Senior Will Powell was released Thursday after spending five days in the hospital. 

Thursday night, O'Gorman parents received a letter from the school stating that a student had been infected with a type of staph infection called MRSA. 

MRSA, a staph infection that is resistant to most antibiotics, is also known as a super bug. The bacteria is widely known as health care-associated MRSA, because most infections occur in health care settings. 

But a new strain is showing up in otherwise healthy people, like athletes. It's called community-associated MRSA.
The infection generally starts as a small red bump that looks like a pimple, a boil or a spider bite. But those bumps can quickly turn into deep, painful sores. The bacteria can remain on the skin, but if left untreated, it can cause life-threatening infections in the bones, joints, the bloodstream, and the heart and lungs. 

MRSA is spread most often by skin-to-skin contact, but can also spread through things like sports equipment, towels, and anything else that can come in contact with bare skin. The bacteria is not spread through the air. Avoiding the super bug and treating minor cases can be as easy as practicing good hygiene. 

Dr. Wendell Hoffman with Sanford Clinic Infectious Disease says, “Everyone who's in the household should practice these things: daily showers, antibacterial soaps, single towel use, good hand washing practice. And it's amazing that most of the time when people do that and they do it faithfully, they can interrupt the recurrence of these organisms.” 

Those cleaning procedures should also go for surfaces throughout the home or your office. 

SD Health Department Information

More Information About MRSA