Officials in southern Florida were busy this past weekend disinfecting gyms and locker rooms after multiple high school wrestlers are believed to have contracted MRSA.
According to Broward Schools spokeswoman Kathy Koch, four or five students are suspected of having the infection.
Koch said infected students may have been in contact with other students during wrestling matches. Parents at Cooper City High, Miramar High, Monarch High, Nova High, J.P. Taravella High, West Broward High and Western High received notices over the weekend.
The district immediately took action, cleaning facilities at all 33 high schools over the weekend.
“The district immediately began implementing measures to clean equipment, weight rooms, locker rooms including shower areas, gymnasiums and wrestling areas at all high schools,” Koch said, according to the Associated Press.
All basketball game and wrestling matches that were scheduled for last Friday were cancelled as a result of the infections. Those who contracted MRSA are required by the district to have a note from their healthcare provider in order to return to school and athletics.
MRSA is a type of bacterial infection found on the skin. Although it’s resistant to many antibiotics, it is treatable, explained a letter to district parents. MRSA is not contracted through the air and is usually transmitted through direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with shared items or surfaces, such as towels, bandages and razors.
