DODGE CENTER— The city pool was expected to open today, two days after it was closed when a woman with a staph infection swam in it on Saturday.
Chlorine levels were boosted in the pool, which was closed all day Sunday. Minnesota Department of Health officials gave the OK to open the pool today, according to pool manager Missy Taylor.
The woman with the staph infection didn't feel well after leaving the pool and called for an ambulance, according to Dodge County Sheriff Jim Jensen.
The woman said that she probably shouldn't have gone swimming at the pool because she has MRSA , so authorities contacted the pool and ordered it to evacuate, Jensen said.
"We followed every precautionary measure to make sure everybody was safe," he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
MRSA, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is an infection caused by a strain of staph bacteria that's become resistant to antibiotics commonly used to treat ordinary staph infections, according to MayoClinic.com.
Taylor said this morning that she hasn't heard of anyone else having medical problems because of being at the pool Saturday. Jensen said that he didn't know how much time passed from when the woman left the pool and when she called for the ambulance.
"We have disinfected everything and are shocking (raising the chlorine levels) of the pool," Taylor said.
Dodge County's public health department said chlorine should be able to "take care of anything" in the pool, Jensen said.
MRSA infections generally start as small red bumps that resemble pimples, boils or spider bites, according to MayoClinic.com. The infections often occur in hospitals or other health-care settings, but can be spread in the general community through skin-to-skin contact.
The infections can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses that require surgical draining, the website notes. It adds that bacteria can also cause potentially life-threatening infections in bones, joints, surgical wounds, the bloodstream, heart valves and lungs.
Minor skin problems should be watched, the site adds, especially in children, and a doctor should be consulted if wounds become infected.
