Скачать или смотреть Northeast Ohio health officials warn parents to be on lookout for hand, foot and mouth disease

The cancellation of an Akron area high school football game is prompting new warnings from health officials about the spread of hand, foot and mouth disease.

Friday night's game between Revere and Akron Garfield was canceled amid ongoing health concerns, despite the Minutemen assuring they "have a healthy team ready to play."

In a joint statement posted to social media from athletic director Don Seeker and Principal Doug Farris on Thursday, Revere claims it was informed by Garfield's AD that the Rams "are choosing not to participate in the game tomorrow," which was supposed to take place at Joseph F. Pappano Stadium in Bath Township. When asked follow-up questions in the comment section, Revere Local Schools' official Facebook page confirmed two Minutemen players have contracted hand, foot and mouth disease but that the team still "had full intent to play tomorrow night."

"Akron Garfield was made aware of the two cases and chose not to play," Revere wrote. "We were not in favor of this outcome."

On Friday, Akron Public Schools explained in a release why it made "the difficult decision" to cancel the game.

"The health and safety of our students and staff are our highest priority," the district stated. "Given the size of our district, with over 19,000 students and thousands of staff, a single outbreak has the potential to spread rapidly. The close contact inherent in a football game—both on the field and in the stands—presents a significant risk of transmission. Our decision is a proactive measure to prevent the illness from entering our district and affecting not only our student-athletes, but also our entire school community."

Amaya Ward reports: https://www.wkyc.com/article/sports/h...