Staying Healthy in School | Impetigo

Staying Healthy in School | Impetigo

A more severe illness that can afflict young children is impetigo. It is a common and highly contagious skin infection that causes sores and blisters. It can be quite an upsetting time for any child who contracts it. It often arises from a break in otherwise healthy skin, such as a cut, insect bite, bad graze. it can also be caused from skin damage from another underlying skin condition such as eczema or scabies.

The infection can spread incredibly easily through close contact, either through direct physical contact or sharing towels etc.

Impetigo may improve without treatment given time, but due to the discomfort associated with the infection we would advise talking to the Carrigtwohill Pharmacy team to be advised on the best course of action to alleviate the symptoms and eliminate the infection. Pursuing treatment will shorten the infection to 7-10 days and reduce the risk of passing it on to other children. The main treatments recommended include fusidic acid creams or oral flucloxacillin and are usually prescribed for up to a week.

It is important to take precautions to minimise the possibility of spreading impetigo to other children or family members that your child may come into contact with. It is also necessary to take steps to reduce the risk of impetigo spreading to other parts of the body. Some of the precautions that can be taken include:

• Not touching the sores if possible.
• Washing hands regularly.
• Not sharing towels, clothing, bed sheets etc.
• Staying away from school, nursery, playgroups or clubs until the sores have dried up or treatment has been continuing for minimum of 48 hours.

Most people are no longer contagious after 48 hours of treatment or once the sores have dried and healed.