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By Gil Fried
It is all over the media. Schools, hospitals, government agencies and other
entities are scrambling to deal with an issue that for years was a concern,
but was on the back burner. Staph infections have been around for some time
and were traditionally looked at primarily as a concern around hospitals. A
specific type of staph infection has generated significant media coverage,
and it’s called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. MRSA
infections are usually manifested as skin infections, such as pimples and/or
boils, and can occur in otherwise healthy individuals.
A government report last month found that more than 94,000 Americans get
potentially deadly staph infections each year. Of these victims, nearly
19,000 died, as MRSA is resistant to many antibiotics. It should be noted
that 85 percent of these cases are connected to health-care-related
facilities. The virus is so dangerous because it can live on all types of
environments, from towels to lockers and everything in between.
The Danger Spreads
Having an MRSA outbreak doesn’t mean you have a poor facility. Over the past
10 years, there have been outbreaks in environments from elementary school
gyms to NFL locker rooms. In 2003, a Lycoming College football player died
from a bloodstream infection linked to MRSA bacteria. In 2004, newspapers
reported that some members of the Denver Broncos came down with the virus,
and future hall-of-fame player Junior Seau allegedly caught it while playing
for the Miami Dolphins.
In 2007, a former college football player sued Iona College over an
antibiotic-resistant staph infection that nearly cost him his leg. The
player, Nick Zaffarese, accused team trainers of initially brushing off his
burgeoning MRSA infection in September 2005. He claims that the team’s
locker room was an unsanitary environment in which players shared towels and
equipment. While the college disputes the allegations, it recently
disinfected a weight room and reviewed hygiene advice after 10 members of an
athletic team (including a coach) were diagnosed with MRSA in September. The
lawsuit seeks more than $250,000 in damages.
Other cases have sprung up around the country, including:
•
Three students in Detroit were diagnosed with MRSA.
•
School officials disinfected a locker room in Indiana after a student was
diagnosed.
•
At least six football players at a North Carolina high school were
diagnosed, and
the school sanitized the locker room and equipment.
•
Five
fencers at a club in Denver were infected.
•
Two football players were diagnosed with the disease at a college in Los
Angeles.
•
Two wrestlers at a high school in Indiana came down with MRSA.
•
Numerous outbreaks all across the country affecting from one to 40
students have
been reported.
MRSA isn’t something that can be caught only from close physical contact. In
fact, three of the biggest concerns have involved minimal human-to-human
contact. Shaving is one of the big concerns. Many swimmers and cyclists
shave their bodies, and each time someone shaves, they are creating
micro-abrasions that can quickly become infected. According to one study,
body shaving increases the chance of MRSA infection by 43 percent. A similar
concern exists with body piercing. With the growth of body piercing, more
and more athletes have open wounds that can easily become infected. Lastly,
surfaces from diving boards to fake grass (whether on a playing field or on
walking areas) can help spread the disease.
One study highlighted that those who suffered from turf burns from products
such as AstroTurf are seven times more likely to catch the disease. In early
2006, GeneralSports Venue (GSV), the exclusive U.S. licensee of the
AstroTurf brand, offered TurfAide from SportCoatings (a state-of-the-art
antimicrobial protection) as an optional component for AstroTurf fields. As
of October 2007, it became standard on all new AstroTurf systems.
Minimizing Your Risks
How can you minimize the chance of having MRSA spread or develop in your
facility? The answer is commonsense cleanliness, but it should be pointed
out that viruses live on all surfaces, and we’re exposed to them on a
regular basis.
Potential solutions for combating MRSA include:
•
Use rubberized flooring that’s specifically treated to deal with
infectious diseases.
• Sanitize/disinfect surfaces on a regular basis to kill various viruses,
from MRSA to
hepatitis strains.
•
Encourage facility users to wash their hands frequently with soap or hand
sanitizers.
•
Use air blowers rather than paper towels for drying hands.
• Discourage facility users from sharing personal items such as shavers,
soap,
combs, clippers, etc.
•
Thoroughly wash towels at a hot enough temperature (above 160 degrees) to
make
sure they are clean.
Another major solution is properly training the staff. If staff members
understand why they’re cleaning surfaces, they might be more inclined to
give their best effort. In 2005, staff members at the Dollan Aqua Centre
(Scotland) were faced with a crisis. Traces of MRSA were found on a
cafeteria table, a toilet handle and a female locker after a secret
investigation by a Sunday newspaper.
Unacceptable high-risk levels of MRSA are deemed to be anything above 0.5
colonies per square centimeter; the amount found in the female locker at the
Dollan was 2.2. Management’s challenge was to get the staff to make sure
strict cleaning procedures were adhered to on a regular basis.
MRSA will occur, and every facility can face the risk. Patrons who use your
facility and are exposed can sue — and could possibly recover if they can
show you didn’t do as much as possible to protect them and others from the
virus. Thus, MRSA and general virus protection programs should be an
integral component of your regular risk management program.
fm
Gil Fried is an associate professor at the
University of New Haven in West Haven, Conn. |
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