Fire Recruit Diagnosed With Staph Infection

WASHINGTON (AP) - A recruit in the D.C. fire department has been diagnosed with a drug-resistant form of staph infection.

Department spokesman Alan Etter says the woman went to the doctor with an unusual skin lesion and the diagnosis was confirmed Thursday. Etter says she is being treated and her prognosis is good.

This is the first case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, reported in the department. In October three other fire department employees reported similar symptoms but were diagnosed with a less-severe form of staph infection.

Etter says the department's Training Academy is being sanitized and disinfected on a regular basis. He says it's highly unlikely the staph infection strain was contracted in the fire department facility.

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