A deadly 2010 outbreak of meningitis among members of an adult hockey league in Colorado called attention to behaviors in the sport that can significantly increase the risk of this potentially deadly disease. The outbreak boosted interest within the hockey community about steps that can be taken to avoid exposure to meningococcal bacteria. It also brought increased demand for meningococcal vaccines, which medical professionals recommend for those at highest risk.
What Is Meningitis?
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes covering the spinal cord and the brain. The disease can be either viral or bacterial in origin, although infections caused by the latter generally tend to be more serious. Bacterial meningitis is also the form of the disease that has been linked most closely with hockey. The bacteria responsible for most meningitis infections -- Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis -- are commonly found in throat and respiratory secretions, making it relatively easy for the infection to be passed from person to person. Common symptoms of meningitis are high fever, headache and a stiff neck, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Colorado Outbreak
In June 2010, three members of an adult hockey league contracted meningitis during a game at the EPIC Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado. Two of the three died from the disease before the month was out. The third victim first showed symptoms of meningitis while on a Montana camping trip roughly a week after the game. He underwent months of treatment for meningitis and complications but eventually succumbed to the effects of the disease in early October. Shortly before his death, doctors diagnosed the third hockey player with vasculitis, an inflammation of the blood vessels, according to Denver’s Channel 7 News. A child of one of the affected hockey players reportedly came down with the disease almost two months after the initial outbreak but was promptly treated with antibiotics and recovered quickly.
Route of Infection
Although the precise route of infection in the Fort Collins outbreak will probably never be known, a Larimer County medical authority speculated that the bacteria may have been spread when the players removed their mouth guards and shook hands at the end of the game. Meningitis-causing bacteria were likely present in their saliva and transferred to their hands when they removed the mouth guards, according to Adrienne LeBailly, M.D., director of the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment. She told Channel 7 News that it was also possible that the bacteria were transmitted through spitting or the sharing of water bottles during the hockey game.
Avoiding Infection
In the wake of the Fort Collins outbreak, amateur and professional hockey organizations in the United States and Canada urged players to take precautions to reduce their risk of contracting meningitis. In Quebec, four former pro hockey players teamed up with the Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada to increase young people’s awareness of behaviors -- such as sharing water bottles -- that can spread the disease. They also pointed out that vaccines are available to prevent infection by four of the five bacterial strains that can cause the disease. Minnesota Hockey urged that all hockey players over the age of 11 strongly consider protecting themselves by getting the MCV4 vaccination. Hockey-University says that cleaning hockey equipment after every game or practice can reduce the threat of meningitis as well as MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant staph infection of the skin.
References
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention: Meningitis: Meningitis Questions and Answers
- TheDenverChannel.com: Third Meningitis Victim in Hockey League Dies
- TheDenverChannel.com: Fort Collins Meningitis Outbreak Grows; Hockey Player Critical
- Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada: Hockey Heroes Take a Shot for Meningitis Awareness!
- Minnesota Hockey: How to Prevent Bacterial Meningitis & Tetanus
- Hockey-University: Training & Conditioning: Cleaning Hockey Equipment (Why)
