To want to have been told about ringworm

[bitpeevd]

we mind a teenager on a regular basis for her carer, and i am a mother to an 8 month old baby. the teenager girl came to us this weekend; on arriving at her house to pick her up i was told she has ringworm (i saw a huge red ring on her leg) and given 2 towels for her to use, and cream for it. i didn't think much of it, went out for the day, and someone told me it was highly contagious; i then looked up info about it online and realised it can be passed on very easily. im a bit annoyed that i wasn't given more information, and that i wasn't given a choice in taking her this weekend. im worried that my 8 month old will catch it - she has been playing with her a lot, sitting on blankets etc. am i over reacting?

You have to continue with the cream for at least 2 weeks after it has gone to ensure it is all eradicated.

wheresthesunshine - Yes definitely continue with the cream for a while after it has gone as 2rebecca says. My daughter gets it, but I think it is because she gets bad skin anyway and when it is dry it cracks and then the ringworm sets in! We only do a week after to be sure.

Is it normal for RW to keep coming back? dd has a few patches of it, and they go away with cream, but come back.

In that case it's probably not RW but discoid eczema (picture here). Treat with a good moisturiser designed for eczema.

DS caught it a few years ago, nobody else in the family caught it (despite regular cuddles, therefor contact). The worst thing about it was the embarrassment of having a child with RW on his legs for everyone to see at the beach!

hi...thanks for all your replies.

fallen - i am not expecting the teen to know what to do with it, or anything about it. it was more her carer. my dd does go to nursery. i am just being a bit extra careful about hygiene and will wash all the towels quickly and the throw off the sofa she sits on. i wouldn't refuse to have her. no i wouldnt refuse her if she had athletes foot - my dh has that. but i think this is more contagious and unpleasant than athletes foot. yeh, its ringworm not rabies - its not a massive deal, but if my baby got it unnecessarily, it wouldn't be too nice for her.

It's the same or similar fungus (a dermatophyte) that causes ringworm and athletes foot usually.

Yes, GP told me it is the same thing as athelete's foot, so your baby is more likely to catch it from your DH that the other girl.

Ah, thank you turps - it could be discoid eczema, it looks a bit like that. I haven't been continuing with the cream after the rash has gone either. She has a patch on her tummy this morning, so I will def put the cream on for much longer this time. Other places it comes on are shoulders and thighs.
Thank you MN!!

It is a fungal infection I had it but didnt pass it on , i did think it was a worm though you are being a little bit hysterical about it , but if you didnt know i can see why you are worried ,

I've spoken to a mycologist, he's puzzled as to why anyone would class ringworm as highly contagious, in his experience it is not, in spite of what is said on the internet.
Its usually mild if caught early.
It is treatable with antifungal creams, tablets are available but most cases do not require treatment with oral anti fungal meds. Use of the cream should continue after rash has gone to kill off any remaining spores.
Sensible precautions will prevent the spread -like not sharing towels, not scratching and hand washing after touching the affected area orafter applying cream (and seperate hair brushes especially if ringworm is on the head ), this is also recommended in cases of athletes foot and thrush.

As I said before when I caught it no one else in the family ( ie DH and the 4 kids ) got it but I did have the cat checked out by the vet as often domestic pets are the source of ringworm.
btw I didn't find mine itchy just unsightly

"he's puzzled as to why anyone would class ringworm as highly contagious"

I answered up the thread, the explanation that i was given was because it lives on surfaces until cleaned, so in a nursery situation, it is highly contagious. I think that the ability to contract it from animals, especially pets and soil, makes it considered more of a concern than other conditions, especially before the NHS/free treatment, a lot of our attitudes to health conditions stem from our GM's.

Because in my workplace we come into contact with vulnerable children, in a statutory setting, the incubation period before being allowed into work is 7 days, so it is very inconvienient to contract.

Put socks on a child and they are contained, unfortunately, their hands are everywhere else.