Over the course of the past few days, Westford Academy has been experiencing a MRSA virus scare, with four reported cases in students. The nurses were immediately alerted of the minor outbreak and were ready for it to be a full blown issue. Those infected students are now under the care of their respective physicians, according to WA principal Jim Antonelli.

Most recently today, the freshman and junior varsity girls’ volleyball games were cancelled. According to athletic director Dan Twomey, they were cancelled because parents of the opposing teams did not want the kids traveling to WA, fearing possible MRSA infections for their athletes.

After a scheduled day off for back to school night, the school has taken precautionary steps to make sure the infections do not spread.

According to Antonelli, to prevent more MRSA cases, WA has cleaned the locker rooms for both student athletes and physical education students. In addition, players on the WA football team brought their equipment home to wash it.  Twomey also noted that players need to be more responsible with their personal hygiene to avoid procuring the infection.

“I think people are just aware of it and taking necessary precautions,” Twomey said.

Furthermore, team coaches are being asked to review all symptoms with their players to educate them on the virus.

On Saturday,  the remainder of the school will be cleaned, including the desks in the classrooms.

“We feel very confident that everything’s been dealt with appropriately,” Antonelli said.

As for a WA athletes, they are worried about the recent scare, but are confident in how it is being handled.

“It is nerve wracking knowing that [athletes] are getting MRSA, but I believe the school is doing the right things and would never endanger [the health] of students,” a junior field hockey player said, preferring to remain anonymous.

Also, a member of the WA Girls’ Volleyball team, Isabella Xu, says she is sort of unsettled by the MRSA scare.

“I feel sort of concerned playing in conditions where this [virus] is being spread and I am uncomfortable because I don’t want to be at any risk of contracting MRSA,” Xu said.

This is not the first time MRSA has found its way into WA, as there was also a large case of it back in 2011, reportedly cancelling school. However, Antonelli does not believe the current situation will resemble that of 2011.

Finally, Antonelli has advice for students who wish to prevent getting MRSA. He recommends students wash their hands, keep their hands out of their mouths, and use hand sanitizer.