Minneapolis – An outbreak of skin herpes has put an eight-day headlock on Minnesota high school wrestling.
The Minnesota State High School League ordered a shutdown of the sport after a recommendation by the Minnesota Department of Health in the wake of 24 confirmed cases of herpes gladiatorum, a virus spread by skin-to-skin contact.
The suspension of competition began Tuesday night and will continue through Feb. 6. Teams are allowed to continue conditioning, but skin-to-skin contact is prohibited. MSHSL associate director Craig Perry said it is the first time the organization has shut down a sport.
“This is an excellent move by the high school league,” Forest Lake High School activities director Joel Olson said. “It is good that it is being taken care of. We are putting the safety of kids first.” An initial outbreak of the virus that can produce lesions and rashes was first reported after the Clash Duals tournament Dec. 29-30 in Rochester. The 32-team tournament typically draws some of the best wrestling teams in the nation.
Since that tournament, the MSHSL said 10 teams have reported having wrestlers with skin lesions on their face, head or neck. Symptoms also can include sore throat, fever and swollen lymph nodes. The rash can take up to eight days after contact to appear.
Steve Patton, tournament chairman of the Clash, said Tuesday that a wrestler from Valentine, Neb., initially was cited as a possible carrier, but he said there is no concrete proof.
“It is based on making some guesses,” he said. “There is a big chance that it is just a coincidence.” During the tournament, Valentine wrestled Minnesota teams Kasson-Mantorville, Scott West and St. Michael-Albertville. Patton said Kasson-Mantorville has seven wrestlers and two coaches infected with the virus. He said Scott West also has reported cases of the outbreak. St. Michael-Albertville coach Gregg Greeno said his team has had no outbreaks.
Perry said the MSHSL first discussed a statewide shutdown on Jan. 16, when the league was notified of the outbreaks.
“Was it a tough decision?” Perry said. “Absolutely. What we’re faced with is the best interest of the schools.” Dr. B.J. Anderson, a member of the MSHSL’s sports medicine advisory committee and a national skin condition expert, said herpes gladiatorum is a lifelong ailment but is treatable with medication that limits the risk of spreading. Anderson said the eight-day shutdown is crucial to determining the extent of the outbreaks.
“With so many people not knowing, it’s important to let the shutdown period take its course,” Anderson said. “Provided everybody does what’s required with the treatment and medication, there should be no further problems.” Perry said the shutdown would not affect the start of the sectional and state tournaments.
Patton said that when Kasson-Mantorville reported its first case, organizers of the Clash sent a note to all of the participating teams to begin inspecting their wrestlers for the virus. Patton said the process for inspecting wrestlers for skin diseases would be even more thorough next year.
The process, he said, has the wrestler strip to undergarments. If anything is questionable, they are sent for further examination by Mayo Clinic doctors at the Regional Sports Center in Rochester. If doctors still aren’t satisfied, the wrestler is sent to the Mayo Clinic to be inspected by a dermatologist before being allowed to compete.
Burnsville resident Rick Rud, head of the Southern Minnesota Wrestling Officials Association, officiated two matches involving Kasson-Mantorville and one with Scott West during the Clash. He disputes that the outbreak came from the tournament.
“There was a wrestler from Valentine who had impetigo (a skin disease), but to my knowledge, they never had the herpes virus,” said Rud, a 27-year officiating veteran. “To say it came from the Clash is a real stretch. When it comes up, and where it came from, takes significant study. From an officials’ perspective, we don’t diagnose things. However, if we see signs of it, we will alert a coach. I didn’t see anything that caught my eye. You see the kid who has acne and long hair, but that is it.
“I think it is important to note that it isn’t wrestling that caused herpes. It is something that is already out there. To shut down the sport was the absolute right thing to do.”
(The St. Paul, Minn., Pioneer Press is a member of the ap News Service.)
