Novak - did you just try the 'it's common so he should have been allowed to expose others to it' argument?
Exactly, Haole. I wonder the same thing. Perhaps Novak has forgotten about this outbreak of 24 wrestlers (from 10 teams) after competing at a multi-state conference where they received the gift that seems to keep on giving. I guess that's understandable since only one of the athletes was from Iowa.
At least one north-central Iowa wrestler has been affected by a widespread outbreak of herpes gladiatorum in the state of Minnesota. The Minnesota State High School League has suspended wrestling in the state for the next week to try and control the outbreak.
Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health Disease Prevention Specialist Betty Krones says it is a virus that is similar to the one that produces cold sores. She says it is a herpes virus that affects the skin found in athletes that compete in close contract. Krones says herpes gladiatorum can start out as a rash and gradually get worse. She says the area may start out as a reddened area, turning into a blistered rash that will eventually scab over in seven to ten days.
People affected may also end up having a fever or muscle aches as well. Krones says if a person thinks they have herpes gladiatorum, they should immediately see their doctor. Krones says since herpes gladiatorum is spread through skin-to-skin contact, people who have it should make sure they protect other people from the virus. Krones says the virus is easily spread and could cause some serious side effects, especially if it gets into someone's eye.
Minnesota officials say 24 cases of the virus have been reported by ten teams, including Kasson-Mantorville, a team that two weekends ago participated in the Osage Duals tournament. Clear Lake wrestling coach Gary Weber confirms that one of his wrestlers has missed the past week and is being treated for the disease. The coaches for the other teams involved, Osage, Emmetsburg, and Independence, have not reported any of their wrestlers having symptoms.
Minnesota has banned competitions and direct contact between wrestlers in practice until February 6th. Minnesota state officials decided to halt wrestling activities to try and control the current outbreak, allow time to diagnose new cases, and prevent disqualifications during the upcoming tournament series leading up to the Minnesota state tournament February 28th through March 3rd.
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I have yet to run across an article stating that after 2 days of meducation the infection is no longer contagious and will not spread to others. If someone has a link they can share I would appreciate it.
Also, the condition of his neck before going to the doctor appears to be well into the progression of the contagious period since this thing can spread to others before any physical symptoms are present.
Just because Paul didn't think it was a big deal doesn't mean others would feel the same. To him, it makes sense that the risk is worth the reward because he didn't have a choice of whether or not to have this condition. He is stuck with it from now on. The others were not.
These guys were assembled for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete for a six-figure contract with the UFC. Their performance during this six week period was the ONLY key they were allowed to have with them to help open that next door to getting to live their dream.
The second doctor DW had check Paul was initially unavailable and since time was of the essence, a general dermatologist was consulted. It wasn't the "next few days" the coaches, producers and others were concerned about; it was the next 5-6 weeks Paul would be spending in the identical environment where the chances of additional flare ups was quite possible. The second doctor was more familiar with the dynamics of the competition than the first doctor was (hours spent in the gym each day, amount of skin-on-skin contact, living conditions, stress, physical exertion of the athletes on a daily basis, environment the fighters are subjected to, etc) and it was his opinion that allowing Paul to continue was a mistake because it would put others at risk, unfairly.
Paul caught this from someone else, with no say so whatsover. I'm sure if there had been a way for him to have prevented contracting the virus he absolutely would have. Paul's dream was no more important or unimportant than anyone else's and he has said himself that he understands why DW did what he did. If an outbreak of this condition can cause Minnesota to suspend high school wrestling in the state in order to try and control the outbreak then I cannot understand why some regard this form of herpes to be "no big deal."
Just my thoughts...
Cindy