It appears that some believe this subject needs it's own thread, so here it is.


Maryland Correctional Institution officer hospitalized with MRSA infection


By ERIN JULIUS (erinj@herald-mail.com)

An officer at the Maryland Correctional Institution south of Hagerstown was hospitalized this week with a confirmed MRSA infection, according to a prisons spokesperson.


MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, is a difficult-to-treat bacterial infection that can, in rare instances, be fatal, a hospital spokesman said.


Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services spokesman Mark Vernarelli, in a memo to prison officials dated Tuesday at 5:23 p.m., wrote that "doctors believe the most likely source for the CO's exposure was his workplace."
After speaking with medical personnel at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Vernarelli wrote in a proposed statement for roll call dated Tuesday at 8:56 p.m. that "there is no way to know at this time specifically how or where the officer may have contracted the infection."

Copies of both memos were obtained Thursday by The-Herald Mail.


A Johns Hopkins Hospital spokesman said Thursday in an e-mail that the hospital's infection-control staff had identified the most likely source of infection as being outside of the hospital.



The patient requested his information not be given out, and a condition was not available, a hospital spokeswoman said Thursday night.


MRSA is spread through person-to-person contact or contact with contaminated objects, according to health-care officials.


The officer was listed in serious condition earlier this week, according to the documents dated Tuesday. The officer was transferred to Johns Hopkins from Washington County, according to documents.


Routine laboratory testing April 7 confirmed that a patient transferred to Johns Hopkins Hospital the previous day had an MRSA infection, a hospital spokesman said in an e-mail.


Hospital officials reported the MRSA infection to the Baltimore City Health Department, which has reported it to the Washington County Health Department, Johns Hopkins spokesman David March said in the e-mail.


Prison officials distributed information about the MRSA infection to prison staff members in the Hagerstown region after learning of the case, Vernarelli said Thursday. The prison system has an MRSA infection rate of two infections per 1,000 inmates, he said.


Vernarelli previously said he was not aware of any cases of an officer contracting an MRSA infection through the prison, he said.



I will acknowledge that there is a difference between officers being fired for excessive force and Vernarelli covering up the information that he received about how the officer could have contracted MRSA.
The similarity is that when officers are involved in a use of force paperwork is created to substantiate that force neccessary to subdue the inmate. If it is found that the reports that were filed were false, then that is a cause for disciplinary action of some sort. So, in the case of Vernarelli not reporting the correct information at roll call, we call if muster, he is himself guilty of a presenting false information.

It is all relevent. But, unfortunately, DOC Headquarters has always seen fit to bend the rules and regs when it benefits them.
I can recall a slow down that was executed at ECI while I was there (not the instigator) and the 12-8 shift would be held over until nearly 11:00 AM. I had a Captain come down to my Segregatin Unit and watch as I took each key out and made the 12-8 shift Sgt. try each and everyone. The Captain ordered me to stop and sign off that all the keys were in fact functioning and all the inventory was accounted for. I refused. I told him that according to DOC regulations I had to check every piece of equipment for functionality before singing off for the previous shift. And, that if he wanted to challenge that regulation, he could himself sign off on the equipment stating that all was accounted for and funcitoning properly. Funny, he refused to do so.
My point is, there has never been a time when every rule and regulation according to the DOC was followed to the tee. But, apparently there are two sets of standards that they administer at will.

If he got it at the prison, where is the prisoner who's infected?

Does he work out regularly? Particpate in any sports activities? There are all sorts of places where he could have picked it up.

The prison is their main suspicion sure, but they have no proof and they cannot say for sure right now. The statement is actually true that "there is no way to know at this time specifically how or where the officer may have contracted the infection". Until they find a prisoner whose infected and can figureout a likely exposure, they cannot say for certain where he got it.

There are more places you can pick up MRSA than you might think, and there's certainly no cause for panic.

Were I working at the prison, I would be far more worried about TB or HIV.

Agreed, BMIC

You can also be a carrier and not have the actual outbreak, but still give it to someone who is in a weakened/compromised (ie: sick, cancer with chemotherapy etc) situation.

And, of course, you can get it from toilets!! True. If someone who is infected gets the germs on their hands, then touches something. Then you come along with a papercut on your finger or sore on your behind...... you could get it that way too.

So, it's very hard to say where it can come from.

I'm not sure I understand what the cover up is about. MRSA is not something that has to be reported. Of course, it is in the best interest of the prison system to know about it and take action, but I didn't know that it was required to report to anyone but the doctor. The health department is a good place to get info, but I didn't think it was a law to have to report it. Personal confidentiality and all that, if desired, is still in place, isn't it?? At least, that is what I have been told on the job. We've had a few trainings on MRSA.

Correct me if I'm wrong, as I could have misunderstood. Thanks!

MRSA is not something that needs to be reported....yet; but since this was found in an institution that houses a lot of people and employs a lot of people, I think Bruchey is suggesting that perhaps more attention should have been paid to warning both inmates and employees to be careful, and perhaps isolating and treating whoever brought the infection into the population to begin with. TB is another one........lots of people don't really consider it a threat anymore, but it is, and it shows up sometimes when a lot of people are required to share quarters, and it can be hard to treat once it does show up. Once again, isolating the infected party or parties is the only way to keep it under control.

The point to remember is that you cannot always track down the source of infection in cases like this. I don't think anyone has done anything wrong here. They reported what they knew and said that they cannot say anything more with any certainty.

Better screening of all inmates and periodic health checks for all staff. We actually CAN figure out who has staph(no pun intended) and who doesn't......we just have to look for it. Remember, even staph that is harmless to one person might not be harmless to another.

Just another thing inside the prison that can get you without you knowing its coming.

Yes good screening of inmates and guards would make sense, but how do you know that's not already being done? Are you in charge of medical support services for Maryland's prison system and/or their employees?

If it were being done, they would have found the staph (once again.....no pun intended )Haha....now they have two different kinds of "staff" to look for! Maybe they eradicated the wrong "staff"!

This antibiotic resistant staph is still new enough for protocals in places such as prisons not to have been updated. Heck, in some places, they really don't look too hard for TB.

No, not a law, but not advising line staff of the possibilities, that's wrong. I guess I just don't trust those in the upper echelon of the DOC. Probably my bad.

Yes I suspect that's the real root of the allegation of a cover-up. It may or may not be warranted.

Anybody with even a passing intertest in Public Health realizes that MDR and MDX TB, HIV, and now (though not as new as some people think) MRSA, as well as measles, influenza, and a lot of other common diseases, are all going to be significant risks in a prison setting. Guards should be (and most likely are) given regular training on measures needed to protect themselves against a host of infectious diseases.

MRSA is not very difficult to control at all. It's hard to cure, yes, but not impossible with the right treatments, and as I said I would be far more worried about TB, drug-resistant or not, and there should have been screening programs and education going on for many years now. There's nothing that different about MRSA that requires a radical new approach.

Even NFL locker rooms aren't immune from MRSA. Several teams have had outbreaks in recent years. Those locker rooms are probably more modern facilities than most of the hospitals in this country.

I agree with Bruchey. While I don't think this was a premeditated cover-up, I do think that simple things like infection control are neglected in prisons. If infection control is often neglected in hospitals, where staff is TRAINED to be more savvy about infection control, why would I think that prisons, who have guards instead of nurses, would worry a lot about it? Then, suddenly, someone who is physically at the prison each day is infected. Of course no one wants it to be their fault. The one simplest thing to do.......handwashing.........is neglected almost everywhere. How hard can it be?

I just found out over the weekend that the guard that has the MRSA is a friend of mine.
He has had one lung removed and is in an induced coma at John Hopkins That stuff ate the lining of his lung out.
Another guard who worked with him has it also.

Last time I visited my brother, THE PRISONER, he was wearing socks over his hands.

Why? Because so many inmates have MRSA. He said some of them look like the walking dead with open sores on their faces, arms and hands (can't see their legs or trunks I guess).

Medical care at MCIH is a joke. He was cut on the head with a tuna-lid and required over a dozen stiches, he waited 2 days for the stiches because the medical staff "couldn't find the staple gun".

Got the flu, serious cut on your body, existing health issue...say your prayers 'cause you ain't getting COMPETENT medical care there.

He's supposed to be taking Ritalin regularly, but noooooooooooo, not there, the medical staff REFUSED to allow him to continue his meds.

He actually had a family member smuggle him band-aids for future use (and probably to use as currency too).

They're prisoners and are probably there darn good reason, but for goodness sake, at least treat them like humans and give them adequate medical care!

I've had docs say if you don't suture within 24 hours of a cut, you don't do it at all.

If it is common knowledge that inmates have MRSA why has no one reported that? Seems that would shoot down Mr. Bob's charge of a cover-up if everyone in there knows about it.

Sounds like getting a straight story will be hard.

They may be prisoners, but bacteria do not discriminate. Bacteria also do not stay contained in the prison, so this is one of those instances wherein it would be a good idea to stop discriminating against them. Also, meds.......if we take people off hteir meds while they are in prison, what type of public health risks are we taking? And if it is a psychotrophic med, are we almost daring the prisoner to commit more antisocial acts when released? Why, unless the prisoner refuses to take the meds, are we neglecting to give them their medications?