Everyone associated with competitive sports teams, including players, coaches, teachers, parents, and administrators, can help prevent sports-related skin infections and should be aware of the prevention measures set out below.
MRSA prevention tips: CDC
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that:
- Sports team administrators be encouraged to provide facilities and equipment necessary to promote good hygiene, such as clean facilities and adequate supplies of soap and towels.
- Coaches and parents should:
- Encourage good player hygiene (e.g. keeping hands clean by washing with soap and water or using an antibacterial hand sanitizer)
- Teach players to avoid sharing towels, razors or other personal items that come into contact with bare skin, use a barrier (e.g. clothing or towel) between their skin and shared equipment such as weight-training benches, and inform coaches about active skin infections;
- Be taught to administer proper first aid,
- Practice appropriate hand hygiene themselves, and
- Implement a system to ensure adequate wound care and to cover skin lesions appropriately before play.
MRSA prevention tips: sports programs
The CDC also recommends the following specific steps to prevent the spread of skin infections among athletes:
- Launder personal items such as towels and supporters after each use. The water should be at least 160 degrees; washing time should be 25 minutes or more.
- Clean and cover all wounds. If an athlete's skin is injured, it should be washed immediately with soap and warm water, dried and covered with a clean bandage. If a wound cannot be covered adequately, the program should consider excluding players with potentially infectious skin lesions from practice or competition until the lesions are healed or can be covered adequately;
- Encourage good hygiene, including washing hands often, using soap or a antibacterial gel or lotion, showering and washing with soap after every practice or tournament;
- Ensure availability of adequate soap and hot water;
- Discourage sharing of towels and personal items;
- Establish routine cleaning schedules for shared equipment. Shared athletic equipment, such as pads or helmets, should be cleaned or laundered at least once a week but ideally after each use;
- Train athletes and coaches in first aid for wounds and recognition of wounds that are potentially infected;
- Encourage athletes to report skin lesions to coaches; and
- Encourage coaches to assess athletes regularly for skin lesions. Athletes with evidence of spreading, cellulitis or systemic infections (i.e. fever and chills) should be excluded from sports participation. Athletes with contained infections but no systemic symptoms may be able to participate on a case-by-case basis.
- When a MRSA infection has been identified, the sports medicine team should review and comply with return-to-sports guidelines developed by the governing sports organization. Full compliance with the guidelines protects the athlete and other participants.
