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 Antibiotic-resistant
bacteria currently pose a significant health threat. Since the summer of
2002, outbreaks of skin infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria
have been reported in sports teams including wrestling, volleyball, and most
frequently, football teams. A person on your athletic team may have already
experience an infectious disease that has not responded to antibiotics. The
development of resistance to any antibiotic is dependent on many factors,
including the widespread use of antibiotics, not taking all of the
prescribed antibiotics, sharing antibiotics, or inappropriate prescribing.
While the situation is alarming, everyone can help in the effective control
and prevention of antibiotic resistant infections.
Staphylococcus aureus
is a bacterium that has been recognized as a common cause of boils and
soft-tissue infections as well as more serious conditions such as pneumonia
or bloodstream infections. Staphylococcal infection usually occurs in the
armpit, groin, genital area, or inside the nose. It is found in dirt or
mud, for that reason, most infections occur through direct physical contact
of the staphylococci with a break in the skin (cut or scrape). Objects such
as clothing, bed linens, or furniture may also be a source of infection when
they become soled with wound drainage, and a no infected person comes in
contact the drainage. These infections typically have been easy to treat
with an inexpensive, short course of penicillin, cephalosporin or other
usually well-tolerated antibiotics.
Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
MRSA
infection, unlike a common Staphylococcus aureus infection, cannot be
treated with penicillin, including Keflex, dicloxacillin, Augmentin,
or other methicillin-related antibiotics. Consequently, the treatment is
often longer, more expensive, and complicated. In the past twelve months,
the Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Surveillance Division (IDEAS) of the
Texas Department of Health has noted an increasing number of reports of
MRSA from local and regional health departments, the public,
physicians, and school districts. The following preventing and control
measures are effective against staph infections ( including
MRSA) as well as many other infectious diseases.
Prevention Strategies
Hand
washing is the single most important behavior in preventing infectious
disease. Emphasize this to your athletes. Hands must be clean before you
touch your eyes, mouth, nose, or any cuts or scrapes on the skin. Wash your
hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer frequently.
Hand
washing procedures.
·
Use warm
water
·
Wet your
hands and wrists
·
Using a bar
or liquid soap, work soap into a lather and wash between fingers, up to
wrists, and under fingernails for a least 15 seconds.
·
Dry, using a
clean cloth towel or paper towel.
·
Provide and
encourage the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers to wash hands immediately
if they come in contact with any body fluid on the playing field or at other
places where hand-washing facilities are not available.
Wash
your hands as described above:
·
After
sneezing, blowing, or touching the nose.
·
After using
the toilet
·
Before
leaving the athletic area
Other
precautions:
- Do
not share towels, soap, or other personal care items
-
Shower with soap and water as soon as possible after direct contact sports
- Dry
using a clean, dry towel.
- Do
not share towels, even on the sidelines at game
-
Ointments or antibiotics must not be shared
-
Pre-wash or rinse items that have been grossly contaminated with body
fluids.
-
Wash towels, uniforms, scrimmage shirts, and any other laundry in hot
water and ordinary detergent and dry on the hottest cycle.
-
Inform parents of these precautions if laundry is sent home (laundry must
be in an impervious container or plastic bag for transporting home).
-
Clean the athletic area and sports equipment at least weekly using a
commercial disinfectant or a fresh solution of on part blench and 100
parts water ( 1 tbs bleach in one quart of water)
Students and or
parents must inform the athletic trainer and campus nurse if they have a
skin infection and in which students will not participate in contact
activities until released by a physician.
Recommendations For Care of Draining Wounds.
If there is any purulent drainage (pus) from the wound,
consider a infected
wound especially if accompanied by fever, redness or
tenderness around the wound or if the person is receiving treatment for a
wound that had pus drainage. Once the wound has not drainage and/or
treating physician clears the athlete, the person can be considered
non-infectious.
Links for more information
http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/infections/bacterial_viral/staph.html
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/Aresist/ca_mrsa_public.htm
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/staphylococcus.html
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