Epidemiology & Disease Surveillance
Disease Reporting - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
(210) 207-8876 or 207-5777 (evenings and weekends)
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GUIDELINES FOR THE REDUCTION OF THE SPREAD OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL (STAPH) INFECTIONS IN SCHOOL GYMNASIUMS/LOCKER ROOMS
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 experienced an infectious disease that has not responded to antibiotics.
While the situation is alarming, everyone can help in the effective control and prevention of antibiotic-resistant infections. This information is provided to assist you specifically in the control and prevention of staphylococcal (commonly called staph) infections in your school. However, these measures are effective against almost all other infections.
Staphylococcus aureus or “Staph” is a common bacterium that can cause skin infections (boils, abscesses, cellulitis). Many times theses infections are misdiagnosed as “spider bites”. Over the past several decades, these bacteria have developed resistance to several important antibiotics, thereby making it more difficult to treat infections due to this bacterium. Infection with a resistant strain of these bacteria is called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA infections. While initially these bacteria were found in hospital settings, they are now well established in many communities and are referred to as “community-associated MRSA.”
MRSA is found on skin, and the spread of MRSA is associated with direct skin-on-skin contact. However, the bacteria can be transferred to environmental surfaces via hand or bare skin contact. Outside of hospitals, outbreaks of MRSA skin infections have been reported in persons exposed to the bacteria in shower stalls and among members of athletic teams, where contamination of equipment (in addition to skin-on-skin contact) and sharing of personal items might have contributed to transmission. Close personal contact due to crowded conditions might also facilitate the spread of MRSA.
Directors of facilities in which students and staff have bare skin contact with others or with shared equipment or surfaces (e.g. gyms, locker rooms) should be concerned about the potential transmission of MRSA. Metro Health, with consultation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has prepared these guidelines for reducing the spread of MRSA in your gymnasiums.
Athletic directors should consider adopting these cleaning and hygiene policies to reduce the risk of CA- MRSA transmission. Attached is a list of recommendations that would be suitable for laminating and posting in your facility.
