COQUILLE - A Coos County Circuit judge ordered his courtroom evacuated and disinfected recently after he learned a man being sentenced was afflicted with the highly contagious MRSA bacteria.

“It's not a frequent occurrence,” said Judge Michael Gillespie, “but it's not unusual.”

Lt. Brad Cook, Coos County's jail administrator, said he recalls a similar drill within the last few years when an inmate, infected with scabies, was in Judge Richard Barron's courtroom.

On May 11, Gillespie was wrapping up a sentencing hearing for a Myrtle Point man convicted of driving under the influence of intoxicants when a bailiff informed him the man was infected with MRSA, or, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and would not be welcome in the Coos County jail.

“When we determined that that was the situation, and that individual was currently being treated as a patient, we removed everyone from the court,” Gillespie said. “We disinfected the courtroom.”

At the time, Gillespie said there were about 15 people in the courtroom. He advised them about the contagion and suggested that they might want to seek medical care.

Although the convicted man was not staying in the jail in the days leading up to his sentencing, he had been held there in April following his arrest on the DUII charge. Gillespie said the man's attorney maintains his client contracted the infection while in jail.

The subject of the man's health came about after jail staff alerted Gillespie to the man's medical history, a routine procedure during sentencing. It was then Gillespie said he learned the man was receiving hour-and-half-long intravenous medical treatments, twice a day, at a local hospital.

“The jail made it clear to me that this was something we needed to be concerned about,” Gillespie said. “It's a highly contagious infection. I consulted with the jail nurse, and others, and took what I considered to be appropriate action.”

That action included vacating the courtroom and wiping it down with an disinfectant in the areas the man might have had physical contact, Gillespie said.

“You would just feel bad if you didn't take appropriate steps for a contagion in a courtroom,” Gillespie said.

Like all bacteria, MRSA is not isolated to one segment of the population. It's not just in the Coos County jail, but can be found on virtually any surface. In 2005, a doctor at Bay Clinic issued a letter to Coos Bay School District officials that MRSA cases were on the rise among students and suggested better hygiene - mainly washing hands with hot water and soap - to ward of an antibiotic-resistant staph infection.

Cook, who's been with the Sheriff's Office since 1989, said he contracted MRSA last year.

“It's everywhere. I've had it,” Cook said, adding it's just as likely one could catch the bacteria at a restaurant.

In his case, Cook said the bacteria lay dormant for a long time, and then “just busted loose.” Symptoms of the infection typically include boils, abscesses or hair-follicle infections. Cook said he believes he contracted the infection either while working out at a local athletic club, during a recent operation, or from someone at the jail. He took medication, twice per day, to get rid of the bug.

Cook said he said he thinks contagious diseases, including tuberculosis and scabies, are on the rise. He noted at least one jail in Oregon had a rash of whooping cough cases running among its population. Cook said at least one other county employee contracted MRSA within the last year.

When it comes to MRSA infections, Cook said, the jail's nurse estimated diagnosing a MRSA infection among the Coos County jail population “at least once a month.” For those already incarcerated, Cook said, the patient-convict is quarantined along with his belongings and jail staff don rubber gloves to apply antimicrobial disinfectant to the places the convict has been.

“Some of these people, their personal hygiene isn't the best,” Cook said.

The presence of the infection, along with the recent action to limit the number of inmates lodged in the jail to save money, were factors in the decision not to lodge the Myrtle Point man in the jail, Cook said.

As a result of the evacuation, and subsequent cleanup in his courtroom, Gillespie said he wants more state court dollars spent on responding to future incidents.

“It did bring to our attention that our maintenance staff in the courthouse is not really well trained in this particular infection,” he said. “I have requested the training.”

Cook offered that while some people might be critical of Gillespie's decision to clear the courtroom, he supported it.

“I would rather err on the side of caution,” Cook said. “It's better to be safe than sorry. I don't blame him one bit.”

- Staff Writer Carl Mickelson covers Coos County issues for The World and can be reached by calling 269-1222, ext. 234; or by e-mailing to cmickelson@theworldlink.com.