Staph infection plagues California firefighters

By VANESSA COLON
Fresno Bee
Wednesday, September 05, 2007

A type of drug-resistant staph infection has become so common in prisons and fire and police stations that some union officials want it classed as a work-related hazard. Among the latest victims are up to 13 firefighters at three Fresno stations.

Fresno County health officials say they've been working with the Fire Department to contain the outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Thirteen Fresno firefighters have filed workers' compensation claims over the infections, asking the city to pick up their medical bills, said Jerry Smith, vice president of Fresno Fire Fighters Local 753.

The most recent case was two months ago, Smith said.

Terry Bond, Fresno's city personnel services director, said only four firefighters tested positive for the bacteria. Infections in the others had cleared up by the time they were tested, or were found to be the result of something else, Bond said.

"It's not an epidemic," said Fire Chief Randy Bruegman. "I'm concerned about it. We are daily coming into contact with people on the street. I'm worried about bringing all kinds of things to the firehouse."

Staph infections have become an increasing problem for firefighters, police officers, prison inmates and others in the state. Dozens of Folsom Prison employees and inmates, for example, were infected with the bacteria this year.

The bacteria can flourish in settings where people live in close quarters, such as jails or prisons, or practice poor hygiene.

Firefighters and law enforcement officers may be more at risk through contact with the homeless, for example.

In 2005, for example, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services documented 20 skin infections among Los Angeles city firefighters working on Skid Row, where the homeless and substance abusers gather.

"We've seen too many cases. It's developed to the point that firefighters, correctional officers and police officers have banded together to support legislation to address this," said Afrack Vargas, legislative advocate at the California State Firefighters' Association in Sacramento. His group wants MRSA infections treated as a workplace injury for firefighters and law enforcement officers.

The legislation, which has stalled in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, has drawn support from police and fire associations and opposition from cities and counties.

Vargas said his association began to notice a rise in staph infections in 2005.

"While firefighters and medics are using protective equipment, they are always at risk for contracting disease," Vargas said.

Staph can be found on the skin or in the noses of 25 to 30 percent of the public -- and in most cases, it doesn't trigger an infection, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, it is one of the most common causes of skin infections, which can appear as a pimple or a boil. In severe cases, it can cause pneumonia or infections of the bloodstream or surgical wounds.

Most skin infections caused by the drug-resistant strain of staph can be treated, either by lancing and draining the boil, or by antibiotics, the CDC says.

Dr. Edward Moreno, Fresno County's health officer, said his department has not heard of other staph outbreaks at other police or fire agencies, but he hears from physicians that county residents are being infected. Gyms are just one of the places where people can come in contact with the bacteria.

Moreno speculates that the bacteria, which was once limited largely to health facilities, have spread in the community because of growing resistance to antibiotics.