Communicable Diseases

Handling of Blood and Body Fluids: It should be assumed that all players could possibly have some form of communicable disease. With that assumption, there are many precautions that should be observed. Simply, this requires that coaches have necessary equipment in their first aid kit (gloves, dressing materials, hand-washing soap or gel, a plastic bag to deposit any soiled dressings or materials used to clean blood from wounds). Rather than go into detail regarding the management of blood and body fluids, I have attached a link to the US Youth Soccer Guidelines for dealing with blood and body fluids. Coaches are encouraged to read completely, print and have available for reference. There are many communicable diseases that can be transmitted by blood and body fluids (HIV and Hepatitis are the most serious). Coaches should educate their players, parents and other staff members regarding risks of contact with blood and body fluids.

Food Borne Illness: No one wants to travel with a team to a distant tournament, only to have several members of the team come down with a food borne illness. Special attention needs to be given to where players obtain their food when travelling. This is usually less of a problem when players eat at home. Food borne illnesses usually result from improper handling, storage and preparation of food items. Many tournaments contract with private concessions to provide sources of food on site. Symptoms of food borne illness can range from simple indigestion to severe diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and significant fluid loss and weakness. Prevention is easily the best way to go here. Once a player or players have contracted a food borne illness, it will have to run it’s course through the body, which could take several days for an individual to fully recover. In severe cases, medical attention is required. My suggestion is for coaches to encourage players to pack their own food purchased from local stores. If that is not practical, coaches should do an assessment of local concessions and make recommendations to players. Pre-packaged food items are always safer than those prepared on site.

Sources of Drinking Water: Water bottles should not be shared for obvious reasons. Caution should be used when using water from outside sources, especially when travelling. Often coaches will bring ice to the field for use with injuries. I have seen many times, players going to the ice bucket and either using them to cool their own water, or simply popping a cube into their mouth to suck on when it’s a hot day. Ice for drinking needs to be kept separate from ice for injuries. A cup or scoop should be used rather than hands digging into the ice bucket.

Skin Infections: Most skin infections are minor in nature and heal quickly with proper care. There are, however, some very antibiotic resistant “bugs” out there that can cause serious complications and are difficult to eradicate (MRSA). At some point in time playing soccer, all youths will sustain cuts and abrasions. These open areas on the skin are potential points of entry for bacteria. Bacteria can come from the field itself, other players, contact with equipment, or be present on the individual themselves. For most minor cuts and abrasions, the coach should simply clean the wound area with water and clean gauze pad and cover it with a clean dressing. Once covered the player should be able to continue with practice or games. When the player goes home, the wound needs to be thoroughly cleaned with appropriate agent and covered again with a clean dressing. The wound should be observed daily until healed. Wounds that start to drain, become red, or fail to heal in a reasonable period of time, should be seen by a medical professional. If a player has a known infected wound with an organism like MRSA, and the player is placed on antibiotics, they should not be in contact with other players until the course of antibiotic treatment is completed. Note for coaches on applying antibiotic creams and ointments (Bacitracin, polysporin, etc) to wounds. Some people have a negative reaction to these agents. It is simply a good idea to let the parents apply this if they want. All the coach needs to do with minor wounds, cuts, and abrasions is clean with water (soap is OK too), cover with clean dry dressing.

Insect Bites: Here in Arizona we have a problem with “West Nile Virus”. It is spread by mosquitoes, and can produce a serious illness in susceptible people. Players who live in areas where mosquitoes are a problem, should use appropriate skin protectant or repellent. I have had to relocate our practice area due to mosquito problems in the past. For additional information on West Nile Virus go to: CDC-West Nile Virus. Other insects can produce problems. Ticks and flies can transmit disease as well. Spider bites can cause significant skin reactions and become infected. Here in Arizona, we must contend with scorpions so we are extra careful about checking our shoes before putting them on.

Viral Syndromes: Other than West Nile Virus, mentioned above, there are typical viruses that are seasonal all around the country. Flu and cold viruses are endemic in our population and are easily spread. It’s the same old advice that you hear everywhere: Get rest, drink fluids, don’t share personal items like water bottles, wash hands frequently with soap and water or sterilizer, and if ill, stay home. Decisions on getting flu immunizations is up family members based on recommendations by their family physician.

Player Hygiene: Read a good article from the Physician and Sporstmedicine publication on preventing infections in youth sports. Players need to practice good hygiene both at the field and at home. Equipment needs to be wash regularly. Shins guards and shoes can be placed out in the sun to air dry periodically. Shin guards can be wiped down with an antimicrobial towelette. Items of clothing and equipment should never be “shared” with other players. Water bottles can transmit virus and bacteria, so they also should never be shared.

Be Protected: Parents should have their child checked by their family physician to be sure their immunizations are up to date. Most schools require this anyway. It is generally a good idea to have a pre-sports physical exam for all youths who intend to play. High Schools usually require this, but soccer clubs usually do not. This is a good time to update immunizations as well.

A Few Simple Rules:

• If players are ill, they should stay home and rest.
• Players should not share personal items (water bottles, clothes, etc)
• Washing hands should be done regularly.
• Avoid practicing in areas where there is an insect problem.
• At the field, clean minor wounds with water (soap is OK).
• Any open area of skin should be covered with a clean, dry dressing.
• Serious infections, and illnessess should be under care of a medical professional.
• Coaches should use good first aid technique when dealing with opens wounds.
• Parents must be informed when minor wounds are treated at the field.
• Coaches should encourage parents to seek medical advice if their child is ill.

Other Possible Communicable Diseases that a soccer player might come in contact with include: Chicken Pox, Pink Eye, E. Coli, Measles, Mononucleosis, Pediculosis (lice), Scabies, Salmonella, Shigellosis, Tetanus…………etc. The potential list goes on and on. It is not the purpose or capability of this site to teach you about the different communicable diseases, other than the brief comments above. We simply want to point out that the potential for disease is very real, and should not be taken lightly. Good hygiene and lots of common sense combined with timely medical care will help tremendously. Everyone is encouraged to research communicable diseases in youths on the internet, and to consult their family physician on any matters relating to communicable disease.

Coaches are not physicians and can not be expected to make medical decisions regarding the health and welfare of their players particularly when it comes to communicable diseases. Parents should always seek advice from their family physician on these matters.