P'burg girl may have staph bug School takes precautions following warning from mother. Classes continue despite concerns. Wednesday, November 07, 2007 • By TOM QUIGLEY • The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG | The mother of a Phillipsburg Middle School girl with a possible staph infection called school officials Monday afternoon to warn them, school Principal John Milone said Tuesday. Milone stressed the girl's symptoms could be the result of other maladies. District Assistant Superintendent Jackie Attinello said it will be days before the girl's illness is diagnosed. About 15 minutes after receiving the mother's call, Milone said custodial workers began sanitizing the entire middle school as a precaution. He said workers used an anti-bacterial cleaner. District officials also ordered an immediate cleaning of Phillipsburg High School even though the girl has no siblings attending the high school. More cleaning is planned later in the week with another cleaner that works faster, Milone said. Classes were held Tuesday in both schools. Attinello said the student's physician will notify school physician Ray Buch about the diagnosis. She said the girl attended classes Friday. The assistant superintendent said no other students have shown similar symptoms. "We don't want to panic everybody," Attinello said. "We have a very capable nursing staff, and they would always be on the lookout for that." She said the school notified the Warren County Department of Health. The decision to hold classes Tuesday rested on the fact that the entire building was sanitized before students arrived, Attinello said. "If there was a major outbreak of students with it, that would be another thing. But we don't have any indication of that," she said. Experts say staph infections may look like a pimple or boil and can be red, swollen, painful or have pus or other drainage. More serious infections may cause pneumonia, bloodstream infections or surgical wound infections. Staph is passed on through direct contact with skin or through contact with contaminated items. Staph can enter the body through breaks in the skin and sometimes cause infection. Reporter Tom Quigley can be reached at 908-475-8184 or by e-mail at tquigley@express-times.com.