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BURBANK — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell held a news conference at Burbank High School to announce that A Parent's Guide to MRSA in California: What You Need to Know, an informative brochure produced by the California Department of Public Health, is now available in 23 languages – from Arabic to Vietnamese.

"It is important to provide information, dispel fears, answer questions, and most importantly, let students, parents, and school personnel know that there are simple precautions they can take to prevent incidents of MRSA," O'Connell said. "Part of this task is to ensure that this vital information is widely available to all Californians by providing it in as many languages as possible. I'd also like to express my appreciation to Claudia J. Erickson and the Department of Public Health for their permission to post and translate the text of this publication."  

The document includes information regarding staph, especially Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and answers commonly asked questions posed by concerned parents and education officials about what could result in a serious illness if not promptly caught and treated. All the translated documents are available at Available Translations - Clearinghouse for Multilingual Documents [http://inet2.cde.ca.gov/cmd/translatedparentaldoc.aspx?docid=883-914,923-934] and also may be downloaded for distribution at schools.

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Editor's Note: Also see Staph Prevention In Schools - Year 2007