How to avoid deadly staph infections while training

Like many healthy people, you probably have some Staphylococcus aureus bacteria — usually simply called staph — on your skin or in your nose or throat. Most of the time, the bacteria cause no problems or relatively minor skin infections. But staph infections can turn deadly if the bacteria burrow deeper into your body, invading your bloodstream, urinary tract, lungs and heart.

There is a new threat of MRSA, an Antiobiotic resistant form of staph that has been lurking in gyms, dojos, and training facilities worldwide. MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, killed more people last year than the AIDS virus. Find out the symptoms and treatment of MRSA infection and how to protect yourself at the gym from this “super bug.”

How can you protect yourself?  BJJToolBox.com has some great tips on avoiding staph infections while training.  While the focus is on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it applies to all martial arts.

Here’s a few tips from BJJToolBox.com that I thought were particularly good.

If you have to wait to get home to take a shower, make sure and keep some alcohol cleaner handy for the ride home.

…

3. DON’T ROLL WITH OPEN SORES
Keep ALL wounds / infections, particularly those that continue to produce pus or to drain, covered with clean, dry bandages. Pus from infected wounds can contain staph bacteria (MRSA) to others. A couple of recent outbreaks among football players began when one team member had a boil, and the infection was spread to other team, members.

Read the whole article here.

Tags: BJJToolBox, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, martial arts, MRSA, resistant staphylococcus aureus, skin infections, staph bacteria, staph infections, staphylococcus aureus bacteria

closeAuthor: TheBigKlosowski Name: Allen Klosowski
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1 Comment to How to avoid deadly staph infections while training

1. 

   I had too much info to leave a brief comment, so I created a separate post about my experience (including a few tips of my own!).

   –Cindy

   http://fightmash.com/2008/10/03/mrsa-2/
Cindy on October 3rd, 2008