A Warning About A Potentially Deadly Staph Infection

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

13 Jun 2007 05:48 PM

My teenage cousins recently wrapped up the school year, but they didn't come home empty handed. Each student athlete received a letter regarding a potentially deadly staph infection that attacks the skin. It's called Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus or MRSA. According to the information provided by the school and county health department, it is contagious and frightening. MRSA is considered by medical experts as a superbug, which means it is resistant to antibiotics and by all accounts it is rapidly spreading among athletes (both amateur and professional).

The letter was sent to parents to inform them about MRSA and to list ways school administrators are trying to prevent the infection from spreading. (Summer school starts in two weeks and football practice in two months.) But awareness about the infection is not limited to the Midwest, when I researched MRSA online I found that schools coast to coast are taking preventative measures both on the field and in locker rooms.

Local school administrators say they have found some very effective means of killing MRSA and preventing it from spreading, including treating equipment with antimicrobial coatings and disinfectants. There's also a special detergent that can be added to a load of laundry that claims to kill MRSA on uniforms, towels, etc. for up to 60 washes. There's even a special type of artificial turf that has been treated with a MRSA resistant coating.

Those options are more geared towards high schools and universities, but there are steps athletes can take on their own. First and foremost-hand washing. Medical experts say hand washing with a special soap that kills staph is the number one way to prevent MRSA from spreading.

And lest you think that football players are the only student athletes at risk for getting MRSA, think again. Experts say all athletes who share locker rooms are at risk, especially those who share soap, towels or other personal hygiene items. Student athletes are also being reminded to shower as soon as possible after playing direct contact sports, and to make sure all injuries are properly cleaned and treated immediately.

The letter my cousins received ended by saying that the school was looking to be as proactive as possible to ensure students have a safe environment to play in. Hopefully the warning will not go unheeded.

Related Articles:

Dealing with Athlete's Foot

Aromatherapy for Pain Management

Toxic Synovitis (Hip pain in children after a viral infection)

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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