According to a reports by NBC Los Angeles, a San Francisco Bay Area student-athlete who says he contracted a highly contagious form of herpes during a wrestling match is asking the state to postpone this weekend's championship meet until officials can determine how many other athletes may have been exposed.
Seventeen-year-old Blake Flovin, of Sunnyvale, has herpes gladiatorum, commonly referred to as "mat herpes," one of the most infectious forms of the disease. It's spread by skin-to-skin contact and saliva and remains in the system for life.
Flovin, a wrestler at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, believes he contracted the virus during a recent meet in San Jose. He said the diagnosis ended his wrestling career.
"I'm never gonna wrestle again," he said.
Flovin worries more student-athletes will become infected, so he and his parents sent a letter to the California Interscholastic Federation asking leaders to postpone the state championships in Bakersfield this Friday, where hundreds will compete.
"I don't want other kids to get this," Flovin said. "It's not worth it to put the wrestlers at risk when this is totally preventable."
No comments:
Post a Comment