Link: TheCabin.net ·· High schools on watch for football staph infection 08/10/08.
According to studies of some Texas high schools, football players are two to three times more likely than others to become infected with MRSA, a form of staph infection resistant to common antibiotics. If the bacteria enter a person’s blood stream, MRSA can turn deadly.
MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, infections have been found in hospitals for decades, but have become increasingly common in recent years. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study last year found the bacterium kills nearly 19,000 Americans a year.
According to a 2004 study of teams from South Texas including Houston and San Antonio, 73 schools reported 81 MRSA infections in its 10,186 football players. That’s a rate three times higher than volleyball players, trainers, managers and coaches in those schools.
A similar 2005 study found Texas football players were two times more likely to contract MRSA than those who compete in wrestling.
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Football players are at higher risk than those in other sports because football is a group-contact game.
