JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Leilehua football coach Nolan Tokuda tests the strength of a patch of mud at the campus' Hugh Yoshida Stadium field. Tokuda said he thinks the pockets of mud make the field unsafe for play and have caused players' skin infections.
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Leilehua players have skin infections
The football coach blames an outbreak on the playing field
Seven Leilehua High School football players have skin infections that coach Nolan Tokuda blames on the field's poor conditions.
The seventh player's infection was confirmed Thursday, and school officials have told him if the count reaches 10 players, the field will have to be quarantined, Tokuda said yesterday.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Leilehua High's football coach says the field's muddy conditions are causing players' skin infections, such as this elbow boil.
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No samples of the field have been taken to determine if it has bacteria or what kind, Tokuda said. He does not know what kind of skin infection his players have.
"They have boils and other stuff. They just tell us they're out because they're taking medicine, and if they touch another kid, they can get it."
"Right now we have mud puddles, and wasps are laying eggs in there -- mud wasps," he said, noting the mud patches are in four places on the field where the kids have to play football.
"We have to throw sand on them (the puddles), but they come back."
Students who are allergic to wasps are told to stay away from the muddy areas, Tokuda said.
Dr. Alan Tice, University of Hawaii infectious disease specialist, said there have been reports from various sources on the mainland about staphylococcus infections, particularly in football teams.
Strains resistant to the antibiotic methicillin are more difficult to treat, and outbreaks have been reported in professional football teams, Tice said.
"There have been investigations of this, why it occurs and what to do about it," he said, explaining it is often related to use of common facilities, such as equipment and hot tubs.
Tice said he does not know of any outbreaks attributed to a playing field, but the turf could be contaminated by some bacteria.
He said an investigation is needed to determine what kind of infection is affecting the players. Once the type of bacteria is identified, the source can be located, he said. "There are multiple places to look, but it's pretty easy to do."
UH has the resources to identify the strains of bacteria, he said. "We need to go on a mystery mission to identify where these creatures are coming from.
"Hopefully, they (football players) are being treated appropriately."
Janice Okubo, state health spokeswoman, said the school has not contacted the Department of Health about a problem and has not asked for any assistance.
She said Leilehua Athletic Director Jim Toyota said the field has problems because it does not have a proper drainage system.
Tokuda said he has discussed the field problems with politicians and the Wahiawa Neighborhood Board. "It's not high on the Department of Education list."
The Leilehua Mules are to play at home tonight against the Mililani team.
"They hate playing here," Tokuda said. "The wanted the game at the (Aloha) stadium. Nobody wants to play here."
He said the problems have continued for the nine years he has been at Leilehua, and "last year they got really bad. Kids got injured on the field."
If the bacterium staphylococcus is involved, it mostly causes minor skin infections, but some can be life-threatening, according to MedicineNet.com.
Infections can spread from one person to another, especially if an infected person shares things with others like towels, bed linens or shoulder pads.
"I don't want to sound like the squeaky wheel always asking for oil," Tokuda said.
But the only way to fix the field is to put new turf on it, similar to the stadium, he said.