Community-Associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

Dear Members:
     Please take the time to read this letter and to go over it with your children. Although we are not aware of any staphylococcal (staph) infections among club members or among the patrons of our home rink, recent cases of infection in some local schools warrant increased awareness and efforts towards the prevention of staph infections among young adults and in particular, among athletes. Pay close attention to items five and eight below that discuss the need to keep equipment dry and clean. It's very important for players to open their bags and dry each piece of equipment after a practice or a game instead of leaving the equipment bag in the garage wet. Please stress to your players the importance of drying their equipment and breaking old habits of just putting the bag away full of wet gear. Also, shower shoes or some type of foot protection should be worn in the locker rooms and when taking showers at the rinks. A very common way for this infection to spread is via cuts on the bottom of the feet. Avoiding direct contact with the floor is one way to avoid transmitting the infection.

Thank you.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are staph infections that do not respond to the more commonly used antibiotics. Staph is bacteria, which are commonly carried on the skin or in the nose of healthy people. They are one of the most common causes of skin infections in the United States, most of which are minor. Staph bacteria, including MRSA, can cause skin infections that may look like a pimple or boil and can be red, swollen, painful, or have pus or other drainage. Staph infections are transmitted most frequently by direct skin-to-skin contact.

Practice good hygiene as the best means of prevention or catching MRSA staph, cold, strep, and other contagious infections. Each student athlete should take he following minimal steps (not all inclusive):

1. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
2. Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed.
3. Avoid contact with other people's wounds or bandages.
4. Avoid the sharing of personal equipment (i.e. chin straps, shin pads, or any other athletic equipment).
5. Use a disinfectant to keep all personal equipment clean and dry after every use.
6. Avoid the sharing of personal items such as towels, bed linens, clothes, soap or razors.
7. Use a barrier (i.e. clothing or a towel) between your bare skin and shared equipment found in gyms and exercise rooms.
8. Wipe surfaces of equipment before and after use.

Parents should assess skin regularly for any lesions, and notify your health care provider for any suspicious wounds. More information is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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