MRSA Superbugs, Part II: Prevention at School and at the Gym

I wrote about protecting yourself from MRSA superbugs in my last post. But what can schools and gyms do to protect you? The administration at my alma mater, Montclair Kimberley Academy (MKA), just put out very strong guidelines on MRSA and the handling of potential cases. Their quick action is not only commendable, but should be a model for all schools.

Following the Center for Disease Control's guidelines, MKA will consider any potential skin infection to be a potential MRSA infection. No student or adult will be allowed to return to school until the infection has been cultured for MRSA and a doctor has cleared them to return. As long as the infection can be completely covered by a bandage to prevent contact with others, they can come back to school. All cases of confirmed MRSA will be reported to the town's Health Department in order to be traced by the State, and a letter will be sent to all parents to notify them of an outbreak.

MKA has also put out guidelines for prevention, similar to the ones that I listed in my recent blog Part I: Protect Yourself from MRSA. So I would like to say "Bravo" to MKA for taking a quick, tough stand on this issue.

It's comforting to see that the message appears to be getting out to schools. But how do we know if gyms and health clubs are taking the MRSA threat seriously? Below are some tips you can use to measure how well your gym stacks up on the cleanliness scale.

8 Ways Gyms can protect you from MRSA

1. Keep clean. It's obvious, but can't be overstated. These days, cleanliness goes beyond keeping  the shower drains free of hair. If your gym's shower drains are full of hair, however, that's the first sign of a lack of commitment to cleanliness.
2. A top-notch gym cleans routinely throughout the day, especially in the lulls after high-traffic times (post-early morning and early evening rush). They manage garbage, with no overflows; continuously clean up bathroom, sink and shower areas; periodically wipe down equipment; and vacuum as needed to minimize potential problems.
3. Each night, an industrial cleaning should be performed, with emphasis on locker rooms, including an anti-bacterial hosing down of showers, mats and locker room floors. Additional attention should be paid to other high-bacteria areas, such as whirlpools, steam rooms, day care and kitchen space.
4. Towel management: Towels should be removed from locker rooms and bins regularly before they pile up and spill onto floors. Those handling towels and any clean-ups in the gym should wear latex or rubber gloves to protect themselves. If your gym launders towels, they should be washed and dried on the hottest settings and cleaned with bacteria-killing detergents.
5. To protect patrons, gyms should provide spray cleaners to be used for wiping down equipment before and after use, along with paper towels. These supplies should be widely available in the gym, along with enough convenient garbage cans for disposal. Alcohol-based sanitizers located throughout the gym also provide good protection (and reminders to all to keep your hands clean).
6. Locker room cleanliness: It is difficult to keep locker rooms clean -- people seem generally to be messy. Gyms can minimize contact with locker room and bathroom surfaces by installing hands-free sinks and soap dispensers, automatic hot-air hand dryers and automatic flushing toilets. This not only keeps germs from traveling onto the next host, but minimize paper trash and towel use.
7. Post guidelines for personal cleanliness and MRSA prevention around the locker room and gym to encourage everyone to keep contagion to a minimum.
8. Have an emergency plan for dealing with injuries or illness that occurs in the facility involving bodily fluids or contact with infection in order to protect staff and patrons.

Ask your gym to put out a bulletin on what they are doing to stay clean and keep members safe.