Warning of impetigo spread during back-to-school season

Doctor instructs on applying medicine to a child with impetigo - Photo: Provided by the hospital

Every day, Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital receives about 8 children with impetigo (impetigo is a common superficial bacterial infection of the skin).

Many children have impetigo that spreads to many places because their parents are subjective and self-treat at home with folk methods such as bathing in green tea leaves, star fruit leaves, taking liver-cooling and detoxifying medicine...

Children with impetigo, family members arbitrarily treat

Recently, a 5-year-old girl living in Dong Nai province was taken to the Dermatology Hospital by her parents with many skin abrasions on her mouth, hands, and feet, oozing yellow fluid, making her itchy, scratching, and uncomfortable.

The baby's mother said that about a week before, the baby's right hand had blisters that itched and were uncomfortable. Then the blisters burst and gradually spread to other areas.

The baby's family went to a private pharmacy to buy oral and topical medicine for the baby, but the condition did not improve and gradually spread to other areas such as the legs, nose, etc.

Hearing from an acquaintance that the baby had shingles and that applying fig sap would help cure the disease, the family did the same but found it ineffective so they took the baby to the Dermatology Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for examination.

A 5-year-old patient, residing in Ho Chi Minh City, was brought to the clinic by his parents with many abrasions on the skin around his mouth, hands, and feet, oozing yellow fluid, causing the child to itch, scratch, and feel uncomfortable.

Through medical history, the baby's mother said that about 5 days before, the baby's hands and feet had small, scattered blisters that the baby often scratched. Seeing this, the baby's mother bought green tea leaves to bathe the baby, but the condition did not improve and the blisters broke and spread to many areas of the mouth, stomach, back, etc.

Doctor Dang Thi Hong Phuong - General Planning Department - Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital said that hot and humid climate with lots of rain is an opportunity for skin diseases to develop, including impetigo in children.

Mostly found in preschool children

According to Dr. Hong Phuong, impetigo is a skin infection caused by bacteria and is common in children. Symptoms of impetigo are the appearance of blisters or vesicles on the skin, which gradually become cloudy, have pus and then burst, forming erosions, forming characteristic honey-yellow scabs, and quickly spreading to the surrounding skin.

Common locations for impetigo are the face, around the nose, mouth, or hands and feet. The disease usually heals within 7 - 10 days if treated properly.

"Impulse can occur at any age, but mostly in preschool children. Impetigo is often confused with other skin diseases. If diagnosed early and treated properly, the disease will heal quickly and leave no scars. Parents who arbitrarily treat it with folk methods such as bathing in herbal water or applying medicine based on word of mouth experience can also make the disease worse and easily cause complications," informed Dr. Hong Phuong.

According to Dr. Phuong, if impetigo is diagnosed early and treated properly, it will heal quickly and leave no scars. However, if left untreated for a long time, the infection can become more severe and spread, causing complications such as staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, cellulitis, sepsis, acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, etc.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/canh-bao-lay-lan-benh-choc-trong-mua-tuu-truong-20240918130930322.htm