ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Missouri health department is investigating whether the staph bacteria caused the deaths of two St. Charles County residents.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that officials confirmed Wednesday that there are looking into whether staph, also known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is linked to the February deaths of a 48-year-old woman and her 19-year-old son.
The St. Charles County Department of Community Health and the Environment said in a statement Friday that the deaths appeared to be isolated and there was no risk of a public health risk.
In a 2013 report from the Centers for Disease Control said that about 80,000 people were infected with the bacteria each year, and about 11,000 people die.