Sneezing and hacking in close contact are surefire ways to spread the H1N1 virus — and you can't get much closer than the face-to-face clashes at sports practices and games.
Just this week Tulane's volleyball team pulled out of a Creighton tournament after both schools reported that a mass illness kept the Louisiana players from traveling. Tulane's director of sports medicine said he thinks the illness is the H1N1 flu.
From preps to the NFL, teams are on alert against the flu.
Athletes can easily spread it and other respiratory viruses because they are often just inches from each other, said Dr. Mark Rupp, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
“When (football players) are down on the line, face to face, breathing hard, they are going to spread saliva,” Rupp said.
In addition, H1N1 could pose more of a risk to athletes and schools than the regular seasonal flu because no vaccination is available yet, said Dr. Kari Simonsen, an infectious disease specialist at UNMC. The vaccine is expected to be ready in October.
Even though Nebraska has reported three confirmed deaths due to H1N1, including Douglas County's first on Wednesday, the virus has generally produced mild illnesses similar to the regular seasonal flu. The three deaths involved people with chronic, underlying health conditions.
Rupp said football and wrestling are two sports in which H1N1 could spread easily because athletes are so close. Germs also could spread on the volleyball court because players are within 6 feet of each other — the range at which flu can spread through droplets in coughs and sneezes.
He emphasized that sports games aren't the only place where the virus can spread through close contact. A student sitting in a classroom next to an infected person who's coughing could face as much risk as football linemen.
Jim Tenopir, executive director of the Nebraska School Activities Association, said teams and parents shouldn't overreact.
“We want to steer away from any kind of hysteria,'' he said.
He said athletic programs are taking the right approach: They're aware of the potential risks and taking steps to keep players safe.
In the Omaha Public Schools, coaches and trainers are reminding players to wipe down football helmets and face masks. Players are encouraged to wash practice clothes and uniforms more often.
Football players at Abraham Lincoln High in Council Bluffs are drinking out of disposable cups during practice instead of sharing water bottles.
At Creighton, the athletic department is adhering to hygiene recommendations distributed Wednesday to the campus at large, said Rob Anderson, a spokesman for Creighton athletics.
Material has been distributed to NFL teams and players on preventive steps against H1N1 flu, treatment, testing and other details.
“We're as concerned about it as anybody else,” said Greg Aiello, league spokesman. “We've dealt with hurricanes and other natural disasters, and that's what you have to be prepared to do.”
At Tulane, more than two dozen football players, five volleyball players and four athletes in other sports have become sick over the past week or so, said Dr. Greg Stewart, the university's director of sports medicine.
Some tested positive for Type A influenza, Stewart said, of which H1N1 is a strain. Lab confirmation of H1N1 hadn't come in as of Thursday night, Stewart said, but there are H1N1 cases in the area and he assumes that his athletes have it.
He said it didn't make sense to put the volleyball team on a plane and risk exposing other players to it. Last weekend the university canceled a fan day for autographs of football and volleyball players.
Some high schools say they are prepared because of steps they have taken over the past two years to prevent the spread of staph infections, including cleaning locker rooms and equipment more often.
Tenopir said the H1N1 cases that popped up in schools last spring also helped athletic programs prepare for this fall.
Washing hands, covering coughs and cleaning equipment are the most effective steps schools can take, health officials say. Children and young adults have had the highest rate of reported cases nationally.
Rupp said a key way to reduce the spread is for sick players to avoid practices and games.
“Rather than being the stoic hero on the athletic field, (players) need to say, ‘Coach, I'm out of the game,''' he said.
Rupp said it's a matter of sportsmanship. If players want to be good sports, they should avoid spreading the flu to teammates and opponents.
Jeff Novotny, activities director at Abraham Lincoln High, said keeping athletes safe is the top priority. But he doesn't want H1N1 to deplete rosters, either.
“It could be devastating to a team's success if it spread,'' he said.
Tenopir said schools, with help from the county health departments, would make the call to cancel or reschedule games.
In past years, the regular seasonal flu and other illnesses have led Nebraska schools to cancel or postpone games.
Contact the writer:
444-1122, michael.oconnor@owh.com
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