North Hills Indians Show No Sign of Illness

The North Hills Indians are healthy, with none reporting symptoms of a viral disease that infected the Norwin Knights recently, said Athletic Director Dan Cardone. 

"On our end, everything seems to have turned out fine," Cardone said. 

At least three Norwin School District football players and one student trainer were last week, a common viral illness usually found in infants and children and not related to foot-and-mouth disease, which is found in cattle, sheep and swine. Infection is spread through direct contact.

The North Hills players participated in  on the weekend against the Knights at Norwin. The three infected students played in the game, Norwin Athletic Director Randy Rovesti said.

The school district took precautions that included the disinfection of the school's fieldhouse and locker rooms.

The North Hills team used the visitors' locker rooms while at the school. The locker room is sealed off from other areas of the fieldhouse and had not been used by the Norwin players or any other teams recently, Rovesti said. 

Hand, foot and mouth disease can remain undetected in the body for weeks. The disease causes a fever, mouth sores and skin rashes. 

There is no specific treatment for the disease, other than pain relief from the symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Cardone said trainers told the North Hills players to notify the school officials if they developed any symptoms.