Keep disease out of the shadows
Lurking in team locker rooms, among sweaty uniforms and damp towels thrown in corners after post-game showers, are creatures of darkness looking for warm bodies to attack. No, this isn’t a long-lost episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but a true story of how disease-causing fungi grow best in unsanitary conditions combined with warmth, moisture and darkness.
Recently the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a report on methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which is leading to potentially severe skin disorders in competitive sports. The CDC says that the usual antibiotics can’t cure this hard-to-treat skin infection, which looks like an ordinary skin wound or a boil. Symptoms include fever, pus, swelling or pain.
Athletes should tell their coaches of any wounds they might have, which should be covered. If a wound can’t be covered, the player should be excluded from the sport until he/she gets appropriate treatment or the wound heals.
Contagious skin conditions are common in contact sports. Direct contact, contaminated clothing, and dirty locker rooms and showers breed infectious diseases such as ringworm, athlete’s foot and jock itch. Good hygiene and sanitation can prevent infectious disease, as well as properly cleaned equipment.
Tips to keep in mind to prevent the spread of infection:
- Remind athletes to change clothes and socks daily. (This may be an issue with superstitious athletes claiming that unwashed underwear is the source of their athletic prowess!)
- Athletes should use talcum or baby powder on their feet and in their shoes when there is excessive sweat or irritation. Athletes should dry their feet thoroughly.
- Use an anti-fungal to prevent the spread and management of fungal infections.
- Keep showers, locker rooms, mats and other equipment cleaned and disinfected daily.
- Avoid contact with skin lesions on others.
- Remind athletes not to share towels or other personal items.
Athletes with suspicious marks, skin reactions or irritations should see a physician before competing in the sport.
And finally, be aware of strangers in the locker room who have no reflection in a mirror...
