LOS ANGELES – Three Los Angeles police officers who work at a station in the San Fernando Valley may have been infected with the superbug known as MRSA.

MRSA is an antibiotic-resistant Staph bacteria. 

It's unclear at this time where the outbreak began a few days ago.

"The health, safety, and wellbeing of our Los Angeles Police Department officers is critical and we are ensuring the officers exposed to this disease are cared for," LAPD said in a statement. “First responders throughout the region and especially here in Los Angeles are constantly responding to incidents that put them at risk of potential exposure to various diseases, and that’s why the Department takes this incident very seriously. All of the work areas that may have been exposed have been disinfected.”

MRSA is short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureas. MRSA can become dangerous if they enter the bloodstream, destroying heart valves or causing other damage.

Staph bacteria lives on the skin, the body's largest organ. Normally, it's harmless, but sometimes if provoked can cause sepsis when the body toxifies from within.

People most at risk are at hospitals and nursing homes where they're more susceptible to germs and infection. It can also live on bed linen, bed rails, and medical equipment.

The best advice is to clean your hands with warm water and soap. Symptoms to be aware of are head and muscle aches, chest pain, chills, rash, cough, and fatigue. 

Click here for more information from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.