Staph can be a serious health risk

There?s a super bug out there and it?s lurking in locker rooms. Today?s athletes just don?t have to worry about playing the game, but they need to be aware of what might be waiting for them off the field.

Staph infections are popping up all across the country in athletic locker rooms, and although it hasn?t affected athletes here in Warren County it?s a serious issue players and parents need to be aware of.

Staphylococcus aureus is usually a harmless bacteria which lives on human skin. But a cut, an abrasion and even a turf burn can easily turn into serious problems if not properly taken care of.

Antibiotics usually take care of the infection, but in recent years a super strain of staph has jumped the barrier of some of the more common antibiotics and have made staph a hard infection to control.

MRSA, or methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, is being identified and diagnosed on a more frequent bases especially in athletes who play a contact sport.

Several cases were reported across the state last year and school officials ? along with the health department ? have been hard at work to come up with better ways of keeping this super bug in check. MRSA or staph can be spread by skin-to-skin contact, and also spread by contact with items that have been touched by people with staph, like towels or shared athletic equipment.

There?s been much debate in the last year or so on how to treat staph. Some doctors don?t recommend using a antibiotic cream, because they argue these can lead to more drug-resistant bacterial strains, while others recommend using antibiotic cream to reduce the risk of spreading the infection.

Most staph infections can be treated with oral antibiotics, including the more serious resistant strains, and it?s important to catch it as early as possible.

But everyone agrees on one thing: Good hygiene is crucial in fighting and keeping this infection under control, especially among athletes.

Athletes should keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed. They should hit the showers immediately after practice and games, and keep their uniforms washed on a daily basis.

I know washing practice uniforms on a daily basis is a difficult task, but parents need to remind their kids how important this can be.

At WCHS, trainer Tim McIntosh has kept the athletic department well informed on the importance of keeping things clean around the locker rooms and the importance of good hygiene. But it?s just like anything else when dealing with teenagers (and I?ve raised two myself) ? they need to be reminded of certain things often.

Now, before anyone out there panics and starts ringing the phone off the wall at the high school, there is no sign of staph at the high school, nor has there ever been.

This is just a piece of information for the future, which could keep your child from becoming seriously ill. Make sure they inform the coach or athletic trainer if they think they might have a skin infection. This must be done in order to stop the spread of the infection. And remember, a little soap and water will keep you safe.