----I was contacted by area worker Rob Justice earlier this week. Justice informed me that he had contacted a “staph” infection that lead to him having MRSA. This was started as just a simple scratch or cut on his leg and now it may lead to him having his leg amputated. The doctor has told him it was from wrestling in “nasty wrestling rings” .Rob or me – neither are pointing fingers. I just wanted to inform everyone – promoters and workers – that something like this could happen.
----What is MRSA?? Below is the definition from www.mayoclinic.com
“MRSA infection is caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria — often called "staph." MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It's a strain of staph that's resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it. MRSA can be fatal. “
----So in other words it is a bad ass infection that can not be treated by antibiotics. Rob has told me he is taking a lot of pills and hooked up to antibiotics 24/7 to try to fight the infection. If the infection does not go away, then they will have to amputate his leg.
----There have been cases of whole locker rooms contacting this type of infection affecting the whole team. The below was taken from www.canada.com.
“Close physical contact between teammates combined with the sharing of facilities, equipment and personal items increases the spread of infection. An uncovered sneeze or cough can spread germs that are easily picked up during skin-to-skin contact or by touching contaminated surfaces.”
----What can you do as a promoter or a worker??
Workers
-Clean your gear on a regular basis.
-Do not share things like gear, boots and such.
-Talk to the promoter and make sure the wrestling mat has been cleaned.
-If you have a cut – take care of it. At the least carry around Triple Antibiotic Cream.
-Cuts should never been exposed when you are working. Tape them up – you are just asking for dirt or anything to get in the cut.
Promoters
-Clean your mats on a regular basis. Not sure the process of doing this – but I think we use to take the CCW mat to the car wash. This should involve some kind of disinfectant – at the least Lysol.
-Clean your dressing rooms. After the show wash or whip it down with some kind of disinfectant water.
-Make sure that all workers with cuts and scratches have them covered.
----Just please be safe guys. I would to hate to think someone lost their leg because of dirty wrestling mats. If anyone reading this is in the medical profession and would like to chime in on extra precautions, then feel free to drop me a line.
