Officials Warn About Bacteria After 4 Deaths

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal health officials said the deaths of four previously healthy children from a drug-resistant bacteria is not cause for panic, but they stress that doctors need to be aware that the bacteria has spread.

"They need to be able to take this into account when they're making decisions about how to test for infections and how to treat them," said Dr. Timothy Naimi, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

One-quarter of all humans carry staph bacteria, but drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections were largely thought to be confined to hospitals and nursing homes.

The children, two from Minnesota and two from North Dakota, ranged in age from 1 to 13. Two were white, one was black and one was Native American.