Athlete Infection Control Program Piloted at Kent State University

A new infection control program was recently piloted at Kent State University. A recent study strategically placed hand sanitizers and a surface disinfectant spray throughout athletic training rooms in two high schools and two colleges in Northeast Ohio, including Kent State.

According to a recent press release, student athletes are in close contact in the shared environment of an athletic training room, and in the presence of poor hygiene and contamination, athletes can be exposed to a variety of germs that cause infection.

University Hospitals Sports Medicine researchers, in partnership with GOJO – the inventor of PURELL® hand sanitizer, found that an Infection Risk Reduction Program implemented in these participating athletic training rooms reduced the overall amount of bacteria present by 95%, including completely eliminating the presence of influenza and multidrug-resistant organisms, such as MRSA.

"Even though we may think we're doing a good job keeping the facility clean, having the stats to support it is extremely beneficial," said Kent State Associate Athletic Director Trent Stratton in the release. “At the end of the day, an infection can destroy a season.”

Read the full news release and view multimedia at Cision PR Newswire.