Fear of catching skin disorder!

[UtterlyMonkey]

Due to big changes happening at work, my team have been istructed to move to a new hub to hotdesk as an interim measure so we can familiarise ourselves with the other team members.
One member of the other team has severed eczema and I am paranoid of catching it. I hate to be mean, but Im pregnant and do not want to put the baby at risk. Does anyone know if its contagious??! :-(

[BooBooGlass]

Are you serious?

[WeLoveHaribo]

Eczema isn't infectious, so you can't catch it!

[nunnie]

Eczema isn't contagious.

[UtterlyMonkey]

BooBoo - yes.
Haribo - Are you sure?? If so, phew!

[OddBoots]

Relax, you can no more catch eczema than you can catch a hair colour.

[TheOriginalDesperateHousewife]

Exzema is not contagious!!!

If you really don't want your baby to get eczema make sure you don't wash them in all the crap which comes in the bounty bag when they are born. It really dried out DS1's skin.

However, when I used to hot desk I left a bottle of anti-bac hand stuff on each desk, and used wipes to clean keyboards and phone handsets. (You wouldn't believe how much foundation some people leave on a hand-set)

[natwebb79]

As a severe eczema sufferer I'm horrified that anyone would think it's contagious!

[yummymango]

No eczema is not contagious, but I know what you mean about hot desking. I have a packet of antibacterial wipes with me at work so I can clean the desk/keyboard/phone before I use it. This is mainly because I know there are some people who do not wash their hands after going to the toilet and I wouldn't want to catch anything whilst pregnant. I am sure my colleagues think I am crackers but I couldn't give a stuff tbh!

[Crosshair]

lol

[benne81]

Oh dear this level of ignorance is actually unacceptable. I know that people are pregnant on here and so you may be a bit more sensitive and hysterical but this takes the biscuit.

The world has gone mad regarding hygiene and this in itself is actually being blamed for the increased cases of autoimmune conditons such as eczema/asthma/crohns etc. The theory goes that we now keep our children so wrapped up in uninfectious/ antibacterial wipe laden/ manically cleaning world that the immune system starts to attack itself (rates of all these conditions were far lower in the past when people wearing latex gloves to tidy the kitchen wasn't the norm!) A few odd germs here and there often don't cause any harm and infact can be beneficial to the immune system - please put things in perspective.

Sit back and use a bit of common sense what diseases and illnesses do you really think you are going to catch from hot desking!!!! Absolute bloody madness - rant over.

[AtYourCervix]

oh my fucking god.

[AtYourCervix]

and also how would you feel about your baby being looed after in a nursery by someone with Aspergers? would you think they'd catch that too?

[Mishy1234]

How old are you OP?

[catsareevil]

at the idea of catching it.

Some people with eczema manage to have babies without it putting them at risk.

[BooBooGlass]

Now stupidity's a different matter. I do hear you can catch that.

[TheOriginalDesperateHousewife]

I think the OP already has a child, so presumably not that young.

[jumpingjackhash]

FFS. Really?

[jumpingjackhash]

I can only imagine how you'd react to someone who suffers from eczema. My brother had it very severely as a child and people who reacted like you are now really made his life hell.

[coccyx]

No its not contagious, but a lot of things are so watch out!!

[TeacupTempest]

Good grief! I hope your colleague hasn't picked up on this as I am sure they would feel shocked and hurt by the ignorance.

[licoriceGreen]

Be nice, pregnancy is a worrying time and this forum is about giving each other support not being horrible to people who ask for advice or reassurance.

[grumpypants]

There is a lack of education out there, about specific things - why get at the op? She doesn't know you can't catch eczema, and doesn't want it herself. Big deal. Now she knows.

I'm sure there are a lot of conditions out there we are all ignorant of but so what? Let's just act responsibly, and learn about them. She's not refusing to work with the colleague, or suggesting the colleague should be hidden from public view.

[Crosshair]

[southmum]

more info here op