The infectious Coxsackie virus, otherwise known as hand, foot and mouth disease, has been spreading throughout the Staples community in recent weeks. 

Liam Donaldson ’24, a safety and running back on the team, shared how he has watched the virus spread amongst teammates, leading to various episodes of illness. 

“Last week we had a lot of sick guys out and earlier this week we had a very small amount of guys actually practicing which isn’t great in terms of us preparing to play,” Donaldson said. “However, recently this week most of the guys have been feeling better and have come back, which is good as we need to get back on track immediately.” 

According to kidshealth.org, Coxsockie is very contagious within the first week of contracting the virus. It can be passed from person to person on unwashed hands and surfaces contaminated by feces. It can also be spread through droplets of fluid sprayed into the air when someone sneezes or coughs.

After the team observed the virus’s impact on valuable practice time, Donaldson, the other players and coaches took steps to address the spread of Coxsackie and other viruses. 

“Especially since flu season is coming up, we’ve been sanitizing a lot more, are being more cautious with our masks and will not be sharing water bottles anymore,” Donaldson said. “Last week we had to sanitize our pads as well as our jerseys, which I think are all steps in the right direction to further prevent the spread.” 

Not only has Coxsackie impacted the football team, but also, the school community at large. Many are reporting symptoms of Coxsackie including fever, malaise, skin rash, sore throat and small blisters.  

“The past few days I’ve felt all the common symptoms and recently noticed a rash on my right hand,” Dylan Walsh ’24 said. 

Due to how easily Coxsackie spreads, it is recommended that those who begin to feel symptoms should stay home, avoiding contact with others.

 “I stayed home for two days as I am aware of how contagious Coxsackie is and don’t want to get my friends sick,” Walsh said. “With all of the current viruses going around, like this one, the flu and COVID, wearing a mask, washing your hands and quarantining yourself from others has never been so important.”