Deer Park High School administrators said on Wednesday that a DPHS student has a confirmed case of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

The student was not in attendance Wednesday, but attended school the previous day. The student’s infected area was covered with a dressing from the doctor's office and with clothing.

School district officials said it is taking preventative measures, such as disinfecting "high contact" areas, and reminding students and staff to wash hands frequently and not to share personal items.

Superintendent Mick Miller sent a letter to parents of high schoolers, detailing the MRSA case and steps they can have their children take to keep the infection from spreading. 

MRSA infection is caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria — often called "staph."

Staph bacteria are normally found on the skin or in the nose of about one-third of the population.

Staph bacteria are generally harmless unless they enter the body through a cut or other wound, and even then they often cause only minor skin problems in healthy people. But in older adults and people who are ill or have weakened immune systems, ordinary staph infections can cause serious illness called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA.

Staph infections, including MRSA, generally start as small red bumps that resemble pimples, boils or spider bites. These can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses that require surgical draining.

Sometimes the bacteria remain confined to the skin, but they can also burrow deep into the body, causing potentially life-threatening infections in bones, joints, surgical wounds, the bloodstream, heart valves and lungs.