Should we worry about staph?

As I was reading Mike Silver's article about staph infections it got me thinking about our risk, as sportswriters, to the infection.

Personally, I feel it's important to shake an athlete or coach's hand before and after an interview. I think it's respectful and professional.

Now I'm kind of worried. All this talk and evidence of athletes succumbing to staph infections from their locker rooms, on towels, on weights, etc. and I'm shaking their hands and mulling around said areas for interviews.

We all know how it works with pre and post game interviews, especially on deadline. Most of the time the players and coaches (especially at high school and some college) are still on the field and grabbing their gear and we poke over for an interview. The players aren't cleaned up or anything. What if they've got a cut or something on their hand?

Yeah, it's easy not to shake a hand, but...

Anyway, what do you all think?

 

Yes, staph is lying in wait as you lean against that weight set or playfully pick up a dumbell and do some curls in the mirror of the team you cover's weight facility. Use Purell, as Kirk Herbstreit suggested on the Mike and Mike Show yesterday, often.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about him.



Wait, what?

 

If you cover the Browns, you might...

 

Awesome.

 

Do you mean staph or MRSA? Or is MRSA salso taph?

Anyway, every high school here has MRSA it seems.
I was just in the hospital for 5 days and was tested 4 times for it.
It's big there too, apparently. Or at least it can be.

 

I think it's one and the same.

 

If I was still covering preps, I wouldn't leave home without it. My grandmother was in the hospital last week and they have hand-sanitizer dispensers mounted on the walls near every door, every elevator ... every place you can think of.

 

MRSA is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

it's super-staph.

 

Just asked Mrs. Mac Daddy, a registered nurse, about it. She says as long as you wash your hands you should be fine. She also mentioned computer keyboards as a big source, but not at the same level as locker rooms.

 

Unless something weird sneaked onto your keyboard, you should be safe posting here