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As cleaning crews work over-time in Mount Vernon and Clifton schools, New York's senior senator is calling for action. Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. unveiled a plan Sunday that he says will protect New Yorkers from the so-called superbug.
"Parents and teachers are dealing with an infection many of them have never seen before and it's frightening," said Schumer.
The fear is over Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, an infection that's been around for decades, but mostly confined to hospitals and nursing homes.
"Now, it's come to our schools," said Schumer. "That's what makes this new."
So far, no one knows where 12-year-old Omar Rivera from I.S. 211 in Brooklyn contracted the deadly infection, and it is possible we may never know. Currently not all hospitals in the country are required to report cases of MRSA, something Sen. Schumer feels is unacceptable.
He says federal health officials need a better system of collecting and reporting data on the superbug, so he came up with a 3-point plan.
The plan calls for legislation to require all hospitals to:
Report the cases
Make federal funding available to educate schools
Research MRSA treatments and tests
Some New Yorkers agree. "I think everything should go into some kind of national or international database since everybody is moving around and traveling so much," said Christine Elbert.
Others feel the government shouldn't meddle. "I think maybe there's a danger of overreacting to the situation," said Peter Blanchard. "There are lots of diseases out there and things that spread around and we just have to get a better handle on it without making new laws."
Not all New Yorkers are sold on the senator's plan. But most say they welcome any initiative to beat the bug. Washing hands thoroughly is one of the best ways to prevent the spreading of MRSA.
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