Home » Health & Safety Channel » Infections & Chronic Illness

Infections & Chronic Illness

Preventing and Treating Skin Irritations During Summer Sports And Outdoor Activities

Summer is a great time for sports and being outdoors. But it is also a time when your child or teen can develop skin irritations (commonly called contact dermatitis) as a result of contact between exposed skin and poisonous foliage such as poison ivy, oak or sumac (allergic dermatitis) or the residue of soaps, detergents, or chemicals in their clothes after washing (irritant dermatitis).

Basic Hydration Tips for Youth Athletes with Cystic Fibrosis and Diabetes

While all children and adolescents have hydration needs - especially in hot and humid conditions - those with cystic fibrosis or diabetes need to pay extra care and attention to hydration.  Here are some hydration tips for parents of athletes with CF or diabetes.

Exertional Sickling: Potentially Life-Threatening Condition for Youth with Sickle Cell Trait

After birth every baby is tested for a wide variety of conditions and diseases. One of the tests looks for the condition called "Sickle Cell Trait."  Ordinarily, a relatively benign condition, sickle cell trait can have potentially devastating implications for youth  engaged in sustained, intense exercise, such as in sports practices, which can result in a life-threatening condition called exertional sickling.

Wash Hands To Prevent Spread of Skin Infections

"Hand hygiene is the single most important practice in reducing the transmission of infectious [diseases]," says a new position statement by the National Athletic Trainers' Association on preventing, recognizing and treating skin infections in athletics, including community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). 

Skin Infections in Athletics: Preventing, Recognizing & Treating

Skin infections in athletes, including community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA), are extremely common.  The nature of athletics, which expose the skin to a wide variety of stresses, trauma, environmental factors, and infectious agents, all combine to continually attack the integrity of the skin and lead to considerable disruption to individual and team activities.  A new position statement by the National Athletic Trainers' Association, says that recognition of skin diseases is absolutely essential, particularly by certified athletic trainers, who "represent the first line of defense against spread of infections to other team members."

Sports Camps Are MRSA Hot Spots

As your child goes off to camp this summer, whether it be a sports- or old-fashioned general-interest camp, health experts say parents and kids need to be on the lookout for MRSA and other skin infections.  Because kids at camp live in close quarters where they tend to share athletic equipment, towels and clothing,  camps, especially sports camps, can be MRSA hot spots.

Preventing MRSA and Other Skin Diseases in Athletics

The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) has issued a position statement on preventing MRSA and other skin diseases among athletes at all levels, from youth to professionals. The statement includes comprehensive recommendations for avoiding, identifying and treating fungal, viral and bacterial skin infections, some of which are life threatening.

Preventing H1N1 "Swine Flu" on Sports Teams

Sports teams around the country are already experiencing outbreaks of H1N1 (swine flu).  Here's some prevention advice for sports parents, with tips from the Centers for Disease Control.



Summer Is Tick Season

Now that summer is here, ticks are active. Parents need to take precautions, as ticks can spread several diseases including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis and others. Incidences of each disease vary by region, but the techniques for lowering your chance of contracting any tick-borne disease are the same.

Kids With Chronic Illnesses Can Play Sports, Too

Do you have or have you had a child participating in sports who was or is HIV positive or has some other chrronic medical condition, such hepatitis or Type I diabetes? Has your child been infected with MRSA as a result of his participation in sports? The Infections and Chronic Illness Center will be a place for sharing information on these important topics. We hope you will share what you know with other MomsTeam parents, coaches and club or league administrators. Remember: this is your community!

Syndicate content