School districts across Ohio and the nation are struggling to deal with a relatively new bacteria, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which is sometimes referred to as MRSA or MERSA.

MRSA is an antibiotic-resistant bacteria that grows clusters, multiplies very rapidly and can cause many different kinds of infection, ranging from simple skin infections (boils, furuncles) to septicemia (infection of the bloodstream) and toxic shock syndrome, and is spreading rapidly in the United States and worldwide.