Impetigo!

[Blottedcopybook]

We've just had DD at the out of hours GP with what I thought was just an eczema outbreak. She's apparently got impetigo - what I want to know is when she would have been likely to have picked this up.

She came out with the blisters yesterday, she attends nursery on a Monday and gymnastics on a Thursday & Friday. Has she been brewing this since Monday or is it likely she got it from gymnastics?

Thanks!

[Nontoxic]

Why does it matter where she got it from?
Just make sure she keeps away from other children until it's gone.

[Claire2009]

DD had this a few weeks ago, as Nontoxic says. Doesnt matter where she got it from, deal with it and keep her away from other children.

DD is 3yo and wouldnt stop touching it, so she infected her thumb & 3 finger tips also

She had it as a big spot on her chin and fingers. Ended on anti biotics for it as the cream the gp gave wasn't working.

[Blottedcopybook]

Because if she got it from nursery then I'll be annoyed they didn't inform me that it was in the room - she has an older brother in the same nursery and I'm 8 months pregnant.

If she didn't pick it up from nursery then she picked it up because of poor hygiene on the equipment at gymnastics in which case I need to mention it to the play leaders.

[moondog]

Who knows!!!(?)

[Blottedcopybook]

Thanks for all the help - I've just been told by a nurse friend that the incubation period is 1-3 days so it looks like the gymnastics class was the source.

[Nontoxic]

Eh? What are they supposed to do, swab everything down in between each child?
If a child at a gymnastics class is infected with impetigo, I doubt there's much anyone could do to avoid it being spread - apart from cleaning each piece of equipment after each child uses it.

[Blottedcopybook]

Honest to God, who shat in your cornflakes? I don't give a toss where she got it from but I have a responsibility to let the source know that she has it so they can let other parents know. She doesn't come in contact with a lot of other kids but the places where she does, there's A LOT of other kids so there's no point in telling the nursery (who then have to tell all of the parents of each child she could have come into contact with) if it didn't come from there. The Doctor told us it's a bacterial infection so if she got it from gymnastics they'll need to clean down the equipment with some antibacterial solution so that it doesn't spread further.

[cass66]

Actually, Impetigo is a bacterial infection caused by staph aureus, which lives on the skin. so if your child had an area of broken skin or eczema then she probably infected herself.

it's a common enough infection in children, no need to blame anyone..

Antibacterial bath anyone.....

[Nontoxic]

I think that was what I was trying to say but didn't -it's the child rather than the equipment, so there's no point being annoyed with the gym class or anyone else.
Sorry I rattled you further.

[Blottedcopybook]

I really wasn't blaming anyone, I can just see how uncomfortable DD is with it and if I can do anything to prevent other kids getting it then great. She's my third child, I'm completely at ease with her (and her brothers) picking up every blooming bug they come in contact with!

The Doctor told us that it could have been either staph or strep that caused the infection but because it's bacterial, it could remain on items that DD (or anyone else who had it) had left bodily fluids on. I'm sure you know how sweaty and dribbly a group of 25 toddlers can be at a gymnastics class and therefore what the risk could have been to the seven groups that attend that particular class.

Nontoxic Thanks, and I'm sorry for being nippy. I just couldn't understand why I was getting such negative responses!

[hoarsewhisperer]

My son had this, and i didn't know what it was for a few days, but i put Metanium on it. When we went to the dr after 3 days, he told me that the metanium would have helped to control it as the iodine in it would effectively kill off the bacteria too. Justthought it was a useful tip as it will mean that if she touches it it is less likely to spread.....

[Blottedcopybook]

Oh! Thanks for that, I'll pick some up when I'm out later. Her wee face is so sore looking but she's being pretty good about not touching it.

[Musukebba]

Blottedcopybook: I hope the doc give some antibiotics for your DD?

[Blottedcopybook]

Yeah she's got amoxycillin to take

[Musukebba]

OK good; just checking

Have a low threshold for taking her back if things don't get better soon.

[Blottedcopybook]

I will, thanks. She's actually improved dramatically since the antibiotics started working in terms of the appearance of the blisters. She's really quiet and cuddly which isn't really like her, but still cheery enough so hopefully today will be a turnaround point for her. Poor wee soul, she doesn't do illness by half!