It began with a tumble from a scooter and ended weeks later with emergency knee surgery. Joey, an MYHA peewee hockey player, is among the latest victims of a nasty drug-resistant infection that’s running rampant across the United States. And active kids like Joey (not his real name), who routinely get scrapes and cuts, are among its favorite targets.

Joey’s family thought their son just a bad case of road rash after he fell from his scooter in late May. Weeks later, after the scrapes had virtually healed, he began complaining about a sore knee. And in mid-June, now feverish, he was rushed to hospital, where doctors found a festering infection behind his knee cap. It was quickly identified as community-acquired methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. Doctors did emergency surgery to clean out the infection, preventing the potentially lethal bug from spreading to other parts of his body.

After weeks of rehab at home, along with daily intravenous treatments of powerful antibiotics, Joey is now fine. “Once they knock it out, it’s like it never happened,” said his father, relieved the family’s frightening ordeal is over. 

But Joey’s brush with MRSA has changed how the family handles some everyday routines. “I’ve become fanatical with the kids about what to do when they get cuts, even small ones,” his father said. To this day, neither his family nor his doctors know where Joey picked up the bug. But the family is taking much greater care to keep his hockey gear clean and dry. “We have no idea if he got it from his hockey equipment. But it’s possible,” his father acknowledged. “There are probably a million scenarios for where and when he might have got it.” 

MRSA can be picked up just about anywhere. It seems to like crowded places where there’s often skin-to-skin contact, including playgrounds, daycare centers, meeting rooms, gyms and locker rooms. The infection can spread via towels, sports equipment or other surfaces.

It’s estimated that as many as one percent of the population may be carrying MRSA on their skin. The skin acts as a natural protective barrier, until it’s punctured. At that point, MRSA can get inside and infect a wound. Left untreated, MRSA can spread to other nearby areas, and even enter the bloodstream or cause pneumonia. In rare cases, it can be lethal. 

The infection has hit dozens of pro athletes, including members of the Washington Redskins and Toronto Blue Jays. This has forced teams to apply new rules on sharing of equipment and hygiene.

A related staff infection, known as Healthcare- Associated MRSA, or HA-MRSA, has plagued hospitals and nursing homes for at least 15 years. Doctors were surprised when it began showing up in the wider community. Now, it’s sometimes proving tough for doctors to identify and treat. Joey’s doctors, for example, initially suggested he might have gout, a form of arthritis. 

There are a few simple precautions that people can take to reduce their risk of catching MRSA: 

• Wash frequently with soap and water, scrubbing your body thoroughly and vigorously.
  
  
• Use a waterless, alcohol-based hand sanitizer for your hands when soap and water are unavailable.
  
  
• Wash your equipment regularly and don’t share with others.
  
  
• Use clean towels and linen, and don’t share them.
  
  
• Keep even superficial cuts clean by flushing thoroughly with water and applying clean dry bandages. (Do not use hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol because these substances may damage sensitive tissue.)

Dear Members:

Here is a brief update on several MYHA issues:

   1. Third Rink – we are getting close to completion with our third rink.  Like all construction projects, this one will finish later than we had hoped.  If all goes well, we will have ice some time in November.  This will make November a challenging month.  We will likely have to move some practices and games to Wheaton Outdoor in November and we will have to compress some practice times and slots until we have the third rink up and running.  Please be patient with the process.  We will do our best to make changes equitably across all programs.

   2. Rod Bower Game – as most of you know, we have a charity fundraiser game between the MYHA coaches and player alums to honor the memory of Rod Bower, a longtime MYHA skater who was killed several years ago.  The funds raised from the game help support the Rod Bower Beginner’s Hockey League.  We are tentatively looking at Friday, December 28, 2007 for the game.  Stay tuned for more details and please help spread the word.

   3. Annual Membership Meeting – our annual membership meeting will be held in early November.  The exact date will be published shortly.  This is a great opportunity to learn more about the club and get your questions answered.  I hope you can attend.

   4. Pucks for Bucks – to accommodate the overwhelming response from our members, we have eliminated all club-wide fundraising efforts (save for the Rod Bower Game).  However, the Pucks for Bucks program is a great way for you to buy Caps tickets and help the club at the same time.  If you buy your tickets through the Pucks for Bucks program, you really do get a substantial discount off of the face price of a ticket.  Please use this program, which is available on the MYHA website, when you buy tickets for a Capitals game.  And please tell everyone you know about it; this program is not limited to MYHA members and is open to anyone who wants to use the MYHA link to buy tickets.

Thanks for your continued support.

Chip Mitchell, President
Montgomery Youth Hockey Association

Dear Members:

Most of you probably have read the articles this week in The Washington Post, The Gazette Newspapers and on various websites about the increasing occurrence of staph infections among young adults and, in particular, among athletes.  Below is the text of a letter sent out by an MCPS public high school that gives an excellent summary of the problems associated with staph infections and the steps each person should take to avoid them.  In particular, please note item numbers five and eight that discuss the need to keep equipment dry and clean.  Many of our kids tend to drop their hockey bags in the garage after a practice or a game without taking their gear out and letting it dry.  This is a very dangerous practice and one we should all avoid.  Also,  flip-flops or some other type of foot protection should be worn in the locker rooms.   A very common way this infection is spread is via cuts on the bottom of feet.   Avoiding direct contact with the floor is one way to avoid transmitting the infection.

Please take the time to read this letter and to go over it with your children.  Thank you.

Chip Mitchell, President
Montgomery Youth Hockey Association

Text of MCPS Letter 

MRSA infections are staphylococcal (staph) infections that do not respond to the more commonly used antibiotics. Staph is bacteria, which are commonly carried on the skin or in the nose of healthy people. They are one of the most common causes of skin infections in the United States, most of which are minor. Staph bacteria, including MRSA, can cause skin infections that may look like a pimple or boil and can be red, swollen, painful, or have pus or other drainage. Staph infections are transmitted most frequently by direct skin-to-skin contact.

Practicing good hygiene is the best means of prevention of catching MRSA staph, cold, strep, and other contagious infections. Steps that each student athlete should take include:

1. Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

2. Keeping cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed.

3. Avoiding contact with other people's wounds or bandages.

4. Avoiding the sharing of personal equipment (i.e. chin straps, shin pads, or any other athletic equipment).

5. Using a disinfectant to keep all personal equipment clean and dry after every use.

6. Avoiding the sharing of personal items such as towels, bed linens, clothes, soap or razors.

7. Using a barrier (i.e. clothing or a towel) between your bare skin and shared equipment found in gyms and exercise rooms.

8. Wiping surfaces of equipment before and after use.

Parents should assess skin regularly for any lesions, and notify your health care provider for any suspicious wounds.