WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Staph Infection Sidelines Some Area High School Football Players
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It's called Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA. It's a bacteria that is commonly found on the skin or in the noses of healthy people. But it can spread, especially when two people come in contact with each other, like in a sport such as football.
Some of the Benedictine football players won't be hitting the gridiron this Friday, until the MRSA staph infection is gone.
"We keep them out until the wound is completely healed, until the antibiotic is finished, and all signs of the infection have completely healed," said school principal Kelly Burke.
She's not taking any chances with her players, or her students. Since the infection is mainly spread through contact on the skin, the entire school is being cleansed.
"Our locker rooms, our equipment is being sanitized not daily, but hourly," Burke explained. "So is the equipment they use from the football field. Lockers are being sanitized between each class, weight room equipment, the same thing."
While only a few of her 400 students have the infection, she wants to keep it from spreading. The infection can be serious. Symptoms vary, and can present from anything as a blister or pimple to a boil or open lesion. MRSA can be resistant to antibiotics and very hard to treat.
The staph infection can be easily prevented. Doing things like a thorough cleansing of the body and washing dirty laundry can wipe it out.
Chatham County Health Department officials are working closely with Benedictine. They say prevention is key.
"We're asking them to shower after games, no sharing of personal items, such as towels and razors," said epidemiologist Robert Thornton. "We discourage the use of bar soap, and encourage the use of liquid soap."
MRSA is an emerging infection. It has been on the rise around the country, mainly in hospitals, nursing homes, and in contact sports and gyms. Health officials say at least 30 percent of people are carriers of the bacteria, but not everyone becomes infected with it.
Benedictine officials have held meetings with the parents to keep them informed of things they can do at home. Officials hope just by getting the word out, they can stop this infection in its tracks and get the players back in the game.
Reported by: Melanie A. Ruberti, mruberti@wtoc.com
