Antibacterial Treatments Saves Lives
Your Child Athlete At Risk by F&EG Staff -5/2007-
Parents: It’s the scariest offense that players have ever seen. It moves swiftly and slyly, a danger in sports that no defense would dare approach. This unsung menace is called staphylococcus aureus (STAPH), and it’s knocking down athletes one by one, increasing in speed and abundance as it rapidly hurdles towards winning the game of health.
“We’re seeing it more and more…You would be hard-pressed to find a football team at any level – pro, college or high school – that hasn’t had to deal with it one way or another,” says University of Georgia head athletic trainer Ron Courson. In the past two years, as reported by Sports Illustrated, Courson has encountered six cases of MRSA, a strain of staph infection that is antibiotic resistant.
MRSA, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, is an extreme case of staph in which the infectious bacteria cause small skin irritations that first resemble a bug bite and soon turn into appalling large sores or lumps accompanied with fever. MRSA can cause skin and bone infections, pneumonia, blood stream infections and, in extreme cases, death. Along with staph and MRSA, other harmful and common bacteria found in sports include Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE), herpes gladiatorum, ringworm, athlete’s foot, mold, and jock itch to name a few.
Whether through a congratulatory high five, the weight room, or towels, staph infections are spread through various types of contact in athletics. What was once acquired through skin to skin contact has evolved into a highly contagious bacterium that is now spread through skin to textile contact.
Originally found in hospitals, the staph bacteria has recently become a problem everywhere from community health clubs and high school wrestling mats to college and professional locker rooms. CA-MRSA, or community-acquired methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, is the newer and more virulent form of staph that is rapidly spreading in school, athletic, and family settings.
“Awareness to the problem of bacterial infections is important in the sports community. The numbers of infections are quickly increasing. This is a serious issue that parents need to be aware of and take action against for the sake of their child’s health,” says Dr. Rod Walters, former Director of Sports Medicine at the University of South Carolina. Countless numbers of players in the NFL, NBA, NHL, colleges and high schools are benched by the microscopic bacteria every year.
Recently, in winter 2007, the Southern Illinois University wrestling team cancelled two consecutive matches due to an outbreak of staph infections on the team. Seven members of the squad were infected with the disease, which spread like wild fire after just one member acquired it.
If such small, nondiscriminatory bacteria can bench a 300 pound linebacker; imagine the effects that staph can have on your child. Fortunately, there is a way to minimize the spread of bacteria. Industry experts from infectious disease doctors and head trainers in all the major sports are recommending the Sports Antimicrobial Systemª (SAS), which is compiled of TurfAideª, SportsAideª, and SportsAideª Fabric Conditioner from SportCoatingsª.
The same preventative products that pros are using are now available to you; starting with SportsAide Fabric Conditioner. SportsAide Fabric Conditioner, a laundry additive that provides a layer of antimicrobial protection and stain release to treat sports towels, socks, uniforms, and other items of sports laundry. It inhibits the growth of microorganisms, making the textile inhospitable for future growth of harmful bacteria. Powered by the ®gis Microbe Shield¨ technology, it has been safely used in textiles in the medical community from uniforms to diapers for more than 30 years.
Shockingly, drug resistant bacteria killed more Americans than AIDS and breast cancer combined in 2006, MRSA being a factor in this scary statistic. “After my child was hospitalized with MRSA it became clear to me that schools, parents, and athletes need to be more proactive about fighting this bacteria, starting now,” says Deborah Bry of Northville, MI. Don’t let your family be its next opponent; SportsAide Fabric Conditioner offers prevention and protection that can beat staph at its own game
