What is impetigo? Impetigo is an extremely infectious disease in children, which leads to the formation of infectious blisters as well as sores on various parts of the body. Though these sores can form anywhere on the body, the neck, face, hands and the diaper region of the child are most likely to get affected.
There are two bacteria that are known to be the causes of impetigo. Both the staphylococcus and streptococcus bacteria are associated with the symptoms of impetigo. The bacteria usually remain in the environment and affect only those who have a low immunity.
Children, who are in preschool or are very young, are prone to developing impetigo because of their low immunity and the body’s inability to fight off the infection. Impetigo in children can be prevented by maintaining good hygiene.
The lesions caused in impetigo are extremely infectious and scratching them could cause the infection to spread. Parents should consider sitting down with their child and explaining the causes and effects of impetigo. If your child is very young, covering the lesions could keep the child from scratching. If your child understands it, explain why scratching lesions can be harmful.
The symptoms of impetigo are very straightforward. The rash on the body appears as a sore that may have been scratched several times. In cases where contact allergies and other skin irritations have converted into impetigo, the irritation on the skin is the first symptom. Since the infectious condition may often occur along with other skin irritations and conditions, symptoms of impetigo in babies or even adults may not point to the infectious condition. The doctor may have to take some tests to find out the exact nature of the rash. The symptoms of impetigo in adults are usually similar to those found in young children and babies. Though the sores may appear anywhere, in adults they appear on the face. In children, hands, forearms and the diaper region of the baby are the places where most rashes are formed.
Impetigo sores, crusts and rashes may itch a lot. Scratching the sores and touching other people may pass on the bacterial infection. A single oozing sore could infect other parts of the body as well. Since the condition is very contagious, it may spread to the other parts of the child’s body or to other people who come in close contact with the infected child.
The treatment for impetigo is often very simple. For long, antibiotic creams have remained the most preferred treatment for impetigo. The doctor will most likely prescribe a topical antibiotic to be applied on the rash. For the treatment to be really effective, bacterial cultures may have to be made. This is done to find out which of the two bacteria may have caused the infection. In case the infection is very severe, the doctor may not waste time in creating the cultures. Broad spectrum antibiotics may be given to the child for it. Impetigo is a very contagious disease, and though it only affects a very small portion of the skin initially, it can quickly spread to the rest of the body. If the infection is severe, topical antibiotics may not be able to help the child much. The doctor may then have to prescribe other antibiotic treatments such as pills and syrups.
Impetigo in adults can be treated with natural remedies. However, in most cases, it is important to first prevent the infection from spreading from one part of the body to another. If the infection is not treated immediately, it may cause a more severe deep skin infection that is harder to treat. With the antibiotic treatment for impetigo, the sores and rashes should begin to heal quickly. If you do not see any improvements in the rashes caused by impetigo, check with your doctor and discuss a change in treatment. The doctor will most likely offer you broad spectrum antibiotic pills instead of the antibiotic ointment. As the infection begins to heal, maintaining good hygiene will prevent it from spreading. Prevent the child from scratching the sores. Keep washing the infected skin and cover it with clean bandages. If you wish, you can ask the doctor to help remove the crusty layer on the skin. The doctor may use soap water to wash off the crust. Since the sores may ooze a lot, the crusty sores should be removed using warm soapy water to begin the healing. You do not necessarily need to remove all of the crust, but it will be useful to clean up the sores so that healing is expedited. Covering infected areas on the child’s body will help in prevention of the spread of infection. Prevention of the spread of infection plays a large part in impetigo in children’s treatment. A clean gauze, plastic bandages and tape can help in keeping the area covered so that the child is not able to scratch on it anymore.
Prevention. Practicing good hygiene is a sure way of preventing the infection from spreading. Children, who keep clean, will also not be likely to suffer from this condition at all. Regular baths and showers are necessary for preventing impetigo. Since the causes of impetigo in adults and the causes of impetigo in children are the same, good hygiene will help prevent the spread of this condition amongst adults as well. If there are any skin irritations, make sure that these are cleaned and washed regularly. Unclean cuts and scrapes can give an open window to the bacteria to enter into the skin. Cleaning these or covering them can help prevent the infection. If a child has impetigo, make sure that the fingernails of the child are clipped, since that is one of the main methods of spreading the infection.
To prevent the spread within the family, use antibacterial cleansers and separate the personal effects of the infected child or adult. Wash clothes and bed linen of the infected person separately from those of others. These are some of the measures that could be taken to prevent the condition from spreading especially to the younger children of the household.
