Students infected with ringworm

Two E190 Yoga I students have become infected with ringworm this semester. Instructor Freda Love Smith, a junior, said the students suspect their conditions were the result of using the mat in room 095 in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.\n"There's no way of knowing for sure how they got ringworm, but I think it seems pretty likely that they got it from using the mat," she said. "The only thing they had in common was that they were in that class."\nAccording to Accent Health (www.accenthealth.com), an online database recommended by the IU Health Center, ringworm is caused by a fungus. The condition causes an itchy circular rash, which can spread, with bumpy blisters that resemble worms in its corners. There are several kinds of ringworm that are classified by the part of the human body that is initially infected. They are ringworm of the skin (which includes the facial, hand, genital, foot, back, chest, stomach, arm and leg areas), ringworm of the nail and ringworm of the hair.\nAccent Health said the fungus that causes ringworm survives best in an atmosphere with heat and moisture. It can be easily spread by sharing toiletries and other materials such as towels. Early medical attention, according to the database, is important.\nTuesday, Smith received an e-mail message from one of her female yoga students stating that she had ringworm, and that she felt germs on the HPER mat were responsible. At 4:40 p.m. that day, when Smith's E190 class usually meets, she told her other students about the situation that had been brought to her attention.\n"I wanted to talk about it and inform them. Also, I wanted to tell them what precautions the University takes," Smith said.\nIt was during this discussion that a male student came forward to Smith regarding his bout of ringworm.\n"He showed me where he had it on his arm," Smith said. "It was healing up. After I told the class about the other case of ringworm, he thought that he might have caught ringworm from the room mat, too. At that point, the students got nervous and I dismissed the class." \nWhen Smith and her students met again on Thursday, she explained that authorities responded quickly to the situation and extensively cleaned the mat.\n"Everyone seemed satisfied with how fast the University handled it. They elected to stay in the room," Smith said.\nHPER Program Services and Facilities Coordinator Larry Patrick confirmed what Smith expressed to her class Thursday.\n"We've had cases like this before; it's inevitable when humans come in contact with the same equipment and there's a lot of heat and moisture," Patrick said. "That's why we disinfect our equipment all the time. We buy a special disinfectant called Thor, which is strong enough to kill ringworm, for the janitors to use. The janitors work for IU Building Services, which assures me that the custodians are using Thor, clean mops, and separate pails of water."\nThe mat in HPER room 095 has been cleaned, but Patrick and others continue to monitor the situation.\n"We're taking the necessary precautions," he said.