staph infection

[siegeltackle101]

we had some problems in the past, coach ordered some wicked chemical spray and we sprayed it down every other day. plus we washed the mats before practice, which i think helps more than washing after. we took our shoes off and mopped and dryed them... after all that problems were rare, usually comming from tournements or other mats

 

i think its up to the coaches to fix the problem, after all he is in charge...

[BuckLateral]

There was a recent article ( Oct. 27) in the Chattanooga Times/Free Press on staff infections and the issues it has in the past and now presents for sports, in particular wrestling. Like it or not, because of the close skin to skin contact that occurs, wrestling is likely to be the sport everyone focuses on when discussing this disease, though I just read an article about its overlooked danger in football becausee equipment, like shoulder pads and helmets, are rarely washed or cleaned yet present breeding ground for the staff bacteria. It presents a serious issue that wrestling coaches and the wrestling community are going to have to get ahead of the curve on. Here is a link to the article.

 

http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/?a=24084&z=

 

If you have problems with the link, go to http://www.timesfreepress.com and click on ' Health". Here are some excerpts from the article relating to wrestling:

 

Staph cases on the rise

Saturday, October 27, 2007

By Kathy Gilbert

Staff Writer

 

Two years ago, former Soddy-Daisy High School wrestling champion Ryan Fuller contracted an invasive staph infection from a wrestling mat through an open wound.

 

Doctors drained his swollen knee daily and intravenously pumped life-saving drugs into his arms for weeks. He recovered and won the 2005 state championship.

 

This week, when Mr. Fuller heard news reports of staph infections nationwide that have left at least two students dead, he recalled his experience.

 

"The whole thing was really intense. I feel really lucky right now," said Mr. Fuller, currently an English education sophomore at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

 

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- an invasive, antibiotic-resistant strain of staph known as MRSA -- has been sweeping through local locker rooms for years, coaches and trainers say.

 

More than 20 UTC students contracted MRSA five years ago, said Todd Bullard, director of sports medicine there. Schools officials said three students at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High and one student at Baylor School were treated for MRSA this fall, and an Ooltewah player was hospitalized with a staph infection in his elbow three years ago.

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In Hamilton County, staph cases already are up 21 percent over the 98 reported in 2005 and it's only October, said Margaret Zylstra, epidemiology manager at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department. There were 102 confirmed cases in 2006, health department officials said.

 

Twenty cases were reported through September 2007 in Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Gordon and Walker counties combined, officials in Georgia said.

 

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WRESTLING HARD-HIT

 

Wrestling, with its sweaty skin-to-skin contact, has been hardest hit by the disease.

 

Last season, Minnesota authorities shut down competitive wrestling in the state for eight days due to an outbreak of staph.

 

Local officials worry it could happen here.

 

"It's one of the biggest challenges facing wrestling -- it literally could wipe the sport out," said Ronnie Carter, executive director of the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association.

 

Coaches are cleaning wrestling mats before and after use, requiring players to clean equipment, clothes and bodies before and after every practice and meets. Schools also are experimenting with mist bombs and antibacterial soap dispensers.

 

East Ridge High School will be washing players' workout clothes for them, head wrestling coach Brad Jackson said.

 

Last week, the TSSAA gave Tennessee wrestling coaches and referees 14 guidelines for controlling staph, including examining wrestlers closely for skin lesions, Mr. Carter said.

 

"We've always taken precautions, but now that it's so bad we're taking double precautions," said Gene Baughn, a parent of an East Ridge High School wrestler and a wrestling referee.

 

Coaches are willing to work hard to beat staph, they said.

 

"It's gone beyond the point of trying to keep a kid on the mat. It's to the point of protecting a kid's life," said Steve Henry, Soddy-Daisy High's head wrestling coach.

 

Yet, school personnel say they wonder if they can do enough.

 

No staph infections have been reported at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High since three students contracted the disease in August.

 

"So far what we're doing seems to be working for us, but I'm holding my breath," school nurse Jackie Harris said. "We haven't started wrestling season."

 

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[Dragon Fly]

Bucklateral, good post. Some good information. I didn't know there had been a problem with staph in the wrestling community. Had there been problems with this last year or this year? Preventive care will always give our wrestlers a better chance to compete all year. Thanks for the information.