Environment
It is not exactly fun to get a skin infection at the gym!
Whether it is a bacterial infection: the antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus community-acquired” MRSA (that is infecting the sport community at alarming rates). Or a fungal infection due to a dermatophyte: an athlete’s foot, a jock itch or a ringworm. Skin infections in athletes can be extremely frequent if a professional management is not put in place.
Two in a hundred people carry MRSA. Twenty in a hundred people have an athlete’s foot. Waow.
Floor and surfaces that are repeatedly touched by skin are inoculated with Staphylococcus or dermatophytes; these microorganisms can survive on surfaces; they are ready to attach to the skin: itching, stinging, and burning of the skin of the feet can ensue – your feet are infected with fungi.
Or: a painful pimple grows on the skin, that can becomes the size of an orange: this is a life-threatening MRSA (Staphylococcus) infection.
Consequences
Think about it: If left untreated, MRSA infections can become severe and cause sepsis – a life-threatening reaction to severe infection in the body.
Other infections can also spread like fire: dermatophytes infect the skin of athletes. The risk is increased by the presence of thousands of microscopic infected dead skin flakes on the surfaces Repeated stress on the skin of practitionners and microlesions favour the colonisation of the skin by dermatophytes. Don’t forget: dermatophytes can be quite resistant to disinfectants.
Advice for Visitors
Before you enter the fitness area, quiz the management about the disinfectants used and about the disinfecting program for all surfaces and equipment. Exercise mats need to be disinfected between classes. In the minimum, a validated product should be provided and used by everyone to clean equipment after a workout. Disinfect your hands after the gym.
Advice for Managers
Tell your visitors about your commitment to use adequate products to manage and control infection in the gym. Use the best available technologies: NOSO for eliminating dangerous bacteria (including C. difficile) and fungi from the floor and surfaces; AVI to disinfect the feet in a few seconds so that dermatophytes do not enter the fitness & workout area. TACIT: to disinfect hands, this is the best defense against MRSA infections. Abioniv can help you establish a program to control the critical points in your Health Club, by defining the risks and the products to be used: where, how, how often.
How it works
Remember: Disinfectants should work in a matter of seconds, and need to be validated for the kind of risk that exist in a Health Club.
AVI and NOSO are professional products that work in just seconds. Before and after the gym, athletes can disinfect their feet with AVI. NOSO can be easily spread out on the floor/ surfaces by the cleaning personnel.
TACIT is a validated hands disinfectant that is fun to use.