Staff infection kills California prison guard

03/20/08 17:24:39

Imperial County health officials say a guard at Calipatria State Prison has died from a staph infection. A health department spokeswoman says Alma Zavala died Saturday at El Centro Regional Medical Center. The 45-year-old woman worked at the prison for 12 years and oversaw a minimum security dormitory. It is not clear where she became infected with what is commonly called MRSA, or methicillin- (meth-ih- SILL'-in) -resistant staph infection. Lieutenant Jorge Santana, a spokesman for the prison, says the prison has had no other cases and is taking no special precautions. Staph bacteria are common and usually cause little harm, but sometimes the infections can turn deadly. Some bacteria have grown resistant to antibiotics.

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