Drug-resistant staph deaths may pass AIDS! Are you aware of this new "Strain",what precautions will you Take?

These stories can be scary when they first hit the media and garner significant attention, and certainly, the warrant close inspection and understanding by all instructors and students of the martial arts.

As the CDC and most healthcare professionals will recommend though, good, common sense hygiene standards and principals will reduce your risks considerably.

I remember when HIV first became known and many in the martial arts community were challenged with how to respond. Time and education has hopefully brought about a sensible and senstitive approach to the subject, and hopefully the same will be true of this new information.

We always wash down our mats weekly and recommend shoes to our students, even though we have mats. We also sterilize our pads and equipment weekly. All are good measures to adopt. During winter especially, we always remind our students to wash their hands thoroughly before and after class, to help prevent catching common colds and so on.

I think with some sensible precautions, the bulk of all risks can be adequately mitigated. An excellent topic of converstation for us to all consider though.

Ken C

9th Dan HapMoosaKo-Do

8th Dan TaeKwon-Do

7th Dan YongChul-Do

I am quite aware of MRSA. I lost a leg to it. I got the infection in a hospital when a nurse practitioner scraped a callous off the bottom of my foot. It went into the marrow of a bone in my foot and, after 6 months of treatment, it still wasn't getting better; it actually had gotten worse and my leg was removed below the knee.

I will do all I can to avoid going into a Hospital. That way, I will be able to die at Home from something other than a staph infection.

it does make you think i make sure to shower right after a workout it is impossible to avoid all the things listed above even with out martial arts or sports you cant avoid everyhtign all the time just make sre to keep clean

I recently got a staph infection in my new tattoo...but thankfully I was able to fight it off. I have heard about this...makes you think huh? Maybe mother nature is fighting back against us parasitic humans.

washing my hands more .avoiding sick people .trying not 2 touch nose mouth or eyes .covering mouth when coughing or sneezing.staying home when i have a cold.

Thanks for the links.

It does make me nervous. I can think of someplaces that don't clean the mats very often.

i am currently wearing a full body condom