Drug resistant staph cases steadily increasing in Louisiana

Louisiana health officials say cases of a resistant, blood-borne staph infection have been climbing.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, also referred to as MRSA, has been in the news since a Virginia high schooler died from the drug-resistant staph infection. A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report cites a rise in the same infection, prompting mass cleanings and closing of dozens of schools throughout the country.

In Louisiana, a special education teacher at Hammond High School is being treated for the antibiotic-resistant staph "superbug." Instances of blood-borne MRSA in this state have increased from 346 cases in 1999 to 739 in 2005.