AthleticsDecember 10, 2015

Halo Disinfection System® is a Game Changer in Eradicating MRSA in Locker Rooms

Disinfectant fogging system a winning solution in knocking out pathogens

We think of athletes as being tough and strong.

So is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacterium that is harder to treat than most strains of staph because it’s resistant to commonly used antibiotics.

MRSA thrives in crowded places like locker rooms, where a number of world-class athletes have been infected. Think of a locker room as a giant petri dish teeming with opportunities for infection: exposed skin, multiple users and shared surfaces.

Former kicker Lawrence Tynes says he contracted MRSA in an unsanitary Tampa Bay Buccaneers training facility, an infection that ended his career. He filed a lawsuit, saying MRSA cost him $20 million in earnings. Teammate Carl Nicks reached a settlement with the Bucs in 2014 when MRSA put him permanently on the sidelines.

Of course, one can contract a MRSA infection from almost anywhere. Recently, a MRSA infection left Daniel Fells, a tight end for the New York Giants, fighting for his life. It’s not known where Fells first came in contact with the pathogen. After treatment in the intensive care unit and at least ten surgeries Fells is home with his family. It is fortunate that neither his family nor his teammates were similarly infected from contact with him – MRSA is highly infectious.

Doctors were able to save his foot. But his career as an athlete is thought to be over, and he may well require more surgeries.

It’s clear that MRSA is more than a nuisance. In 2013 alone, MRSA infections killed nearly 11,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to a 2012 study published in the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection, MRSA imposes an annual cost of $478 million to 2.2 billion on third-party payers and $1.4-13.8 billion on society.

Nicks signed a five-year, $47.5 million deal with Tampa Bay in 2012. Clearly, professional sports teams are willing to pay for top talent. They are recognizing that they should also should pay a tiny fraction of that cost to keep their players safe from career-ending pathogens.

The Halo Disinfection System is a game changer, delivering hands-free, whole room surface disinfection. Halo disinfectants are effective against MRSA and other pathogens. The cost-effective fogging system disinfects every surface in the room, from top to bottom.

When it comes to tackling MRSA, team management should turn to the pros in disinfection. The Halo Disinfection System is a proven winner.