[RonSanders]

.


The illness that some of the national championship racers are experiencing has not been diagnosed yet but it is suspected to be leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is a very serious illness that can cause permanent organ damage if left untreated. If you or any of your teamates are experiencing any of the symptoms you need to go to a doctor immediatly and have a blood test. Attached is a document that will give you more information about leptospirosis including a contact at the Center for Disease Control. Hopefully we'll get a confirmed diagnosis soon and be able to update everyone.

USARA
512-873-1205
tfadventure@aol.com

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FAQ for USARA Adventure Race National Championship Participants

What is leptospirosis?

Leptospirosis is an infection of both humans and animals. It is caused by bacteria called Leptospira. In humans it causes a wide range of symptoms. Some infected persons may have no symptoms. Others may have high fever, headache, and muscle aches. In severe cases, people may have jaundice (yellow skin and eyes) from liver failure. Severe disease may also cause kidney damage and respiratory distress. In rare cases death occurs.

Many of these symptoms can be mistaken for other diseases. Leptospirosis is confirmed by testing of a blood or urine sample.

How do people get leptospirosis?

People get leptospirosis from exposure to infected animals. They can also be infected when exposed to water contaminated with the urine of infected animals.

Many different kinds of animals carry Leptospira. Animals may carry the bacterium but have no symptoms. Leptospira have been found in cattle, pigs, horses, dogs, rodents, and wild animals. The disease is not spread from person to person.

How long is it between the time of exposure and when people become sick?

People may develop symptoms from 2 days to 4 weeks after exposure. Illness usually begins abruptly with fever. Leptospirosis may occur in two phases. In the first phase, fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, and diarrhea, are common. The patient may get better for a time but become ill again. If a second phase occurs, it is usually more severe. Severely ill person may develop kidney or liver failure.

The illness lasts from a few days to 3 weeks or longer. Without treatment, recovery may take several months.

Where is leptospirosis found?

Leptospirosis occurs worldwide but is most common in tropical climates. Many people who work outdoors or with animals may be at risk. People exposed to urine-contaminated water during work or recreation may also be at risk.

How is leptospirosis treated?

Leptospirosis is treated with antibiotics. Doxycycline or penicillin are usually used. Treatment is most effective when given early in the course of disease. Intravenous antibiotics may be used for severe disease.

Can leptospirosis be prevented?

The risk of getting leptospirosis can be reduced by avoiding contact with urine-contaminated water. Protective clothing and footwear should be worn if exposure to urine-contaminated water is unavoidable.

What is the risk of leptospirosis after participation in adventure racing?

Outbreaks of leptospirosis have occurred following adventure racing events, including a triathlon in Springfield, Illinois in 1998 and the Eco-Challenge Sabah in Malaysian Borneo in 2000.

Persons exposed to surface water and wet soil during the USARA National Championships in Florida in November may be at risk for leptospirosis.

What should I do if I think I have leptospirosis?

Any USARA Adventure Race National Championship participants with a febrile illness are encouraged to see their healthcare providers as soon as possible. They should report their participation in this event to their healthcare providers, and discuss the need for treatment and diagnostic testing for leptospirosis.

CDC requests that cases of febrile illness in participants in the USARA Adventure Race National Championship be reported to their local health departments.

For more information on leptospirosis, please visit the CDC website:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/leptospirosis_g.htm


Centers for Disease Control Contact:

Thomas Clark, MD, MPH
Medical Epidemiologist
Meningitis and Special Pathogens Branch
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Office: 404-639-1299
Email: tnc4@cdc.gov

[mdillon]

I would like to follow up with this. The procedure for healthcare if you think you have this is to go to your local doctor. He'll report it to the health department who will report it to the state. If they want to have CDC test your sample, the state will send it to CDC. In this day and age, this type of illness is becoming more prevalent.

[Guest]

Isn't the USARA supposedly provide some sort of coverage/insurance at races, up to like $50,000? I didn't see any mention of the coverage in that message, but I'm curious to know whether people will have to shell anything out.

[gman]

Why is it that people never log in before they put posts like the one above? Guest, how about you reveal yourself?
The USARA sent this message out of genuine concern for any & all participants of the 2005 nationals. Concern for their health & wellbeing. HEALTH is the priority here, not MONEY!

[KevinT]

Gary, You are totally right on the money. Whoever that is doesn't understand insurance either. We all acknowledged risk upon entering the race. I assume if someone was good enough to make it to Nationals, then they would have trained in the woods before. You personally assume the risk from the environment when you volunteer to train or race any venue.

When you wreck your mountain bike coming down a big hill; do you curse God for making the hill or yourself for just messing up?

[patrick]

I got a totally different vibe from the Guest post than gman. I didn't read any ill intent from it. I thought the post posed a legitimate question regarding event insurance in general.

Does event insurance cover participants in this situation?

Doubtful, but an interesting question anyway.

[Neal Radford]

Hi all,

I agree with Patrick...it hard to read into someones intent in an email or posting but i'd give whoever the benefit of the doubt. i think its a fair question, even if appears to be a bit loaded.

Racer insurance is one of the advantages of racing in USARA race or any other race that has it in some form or another. I spent a week in intensive care with lepto after Eco Fiji I can attest to the seriousness of the disease - and how expensive it can be to treat. It was the worse few days of my life. I didn't expect Eco to fit the bill as racing in a jungle (or a swamp) comes with its own risks. I believe you can contract lepto from the Chattahoochee if paddling/swimming with an open wound.

I have great doubts if the race insurance would (or even should) cover treatment for lepto or any other illness contracted during a race but even with good personal insurance treatment is going to cost people a bundle so I'd be asking this question if it was me!

Cheers,
Neal

PS i am also very much for people signing in with their names rather then as a "guest" but I think by "jumping" on guests (as I have done in the past!) you tend to encourage it rather thans discourage it -an open accepting forum we we try and give the benefit of the doubt is a good thing.

[mdillon]

From a healthcare perspective, I too am curious as to the answer to "guest"'s question. If you are injured during a race, the insurance covers you. Isn't an illness caught from the race the same thing? For those with decent health insurance, it's probably a non-issue (even though there are often deductibles and such). My guess is that it depends on the illness. If it's one where you were negligent in treating your own water, maybe you're on your own. But if you caught something unavoidable, who knows?

[jfarmer]

Maybe we should read the fine print. Question: Has USARA ever had a claim against them? Not trying to stir the pot, just curious.

[Zach Doppel]

I'll ask them.

[Tony Berwald]

This may be splitting hairs...

In our events we've never had a claim, but to my knowledge, the USARA does not provide any type of insurance for events. What they do is act as a middleman between the event and the insurance agency - their involvement reduces event insurance rates to a manageable level as they are able to negotiate a group rate for their members (which is why a one-event or annual USARA license is required at USARA sanctioned events).

I'd suspect that if a claim were filed it would have to be directly with the insurer - Francis L. Dean & Associates (www.fdean.com). It seems like contracting an illness at an event would be no different than getting injured.

FWIW rates went up this year - not sure if it is because a claim was filed or because they needed to adjust for inflation.

[jfarmer]

You're correct Tony.

[kfordham281]

Yes, USARA is not an insurance provider but a middleman as Tony said.

To add on to the FWIW comment: Not only did rates go up, but the rate structure changed as well. Prior to last year, a 24hr race had a flat rate. Now, there are different rates for the number of participants and other things such as ropes and WW paddling, etc. If I'm not mistaken, as a Volunteer I had to sign a USARA form when I volunteered at the 2004 SPQ (I know for a fact I did for the 2003 SPQ). If a volunteer did, I bet the racers did as well. Not sure if there was a claim against SPQ for Nigel's death but if there was, that perhaps is a good reason why rates when up. This is JUST MY SPECULATION HOWEVER. I have no clue whatsoever.

[Troy Farrar - USARA]

To answer the insurance questions floating around, the USARA provides medical coverage for participants of USARA sanctioned events. The coverage is $25,000 and is a secondary coverage - this means if you already have insurance the USARA coverage is secondary to your primary insurance. I would assume that Lepto or whatever the illness turns out to be (has not been confirmed) will be covered as it was contracted in the event. Our main concern at this moment is that anyone with symtoms has them checked out and does not write them off as the flu. It is important to treat this illness early.

Please contact the USARA if you have any questions or concerns.

Troy Farrar
USARA
512-873-1205

[John]

Oh really, that is good information. So, what is the Secondary Insurance Carrier information for the insurance papers at the doctors office? Name, group number, etc., so that we can fill out the paperwork properly?