Wrestlers Face an Extra Foe: Herpes

Wrestling--the legitimate version of what Hulk Hogan parodies--may be dangerous for athletes, and not because it’s violent. Contact between foes (note those skimpy outfits) may lead to the spread of a skin disease: namely, type 1 herpes simplex virus.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that 60 of 175 athletes (34%) at a Minnesota wrestling camp contracted the disease. The researchers speculate that the “moist environment of the mats” encouraged contagion. The incident led Minnesota to require high school wrestlers to be checked before competing.