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Original poster

Colleagues impetigo

66 replies

Cakeandcustard123 · 05/12/2019 19:06

Last week my colleague had a sore on her chin. It started off looking like quite an angry spot but then spread and looked very angry and inflamed. We encouraged her to go see her GP necause it looked really sore, which she did yesterday. GP has said its impetigo and has seemingly given her some cream. My concern is that she keeps rubbing this cream into her chin whilst sat at her desk but then not washing her hands afterwards. I don't know how to handle this. She's such a sensitive soul and I'm sure she's already feeling really self conscious about her chin. I've tried saying "oh try not to touch it you might infect it or make it sore" etc but it hasnt helped. If I go to HR it will be pretty obvious someone has complained about her and I dont want any awkwardness, but I really really don't want to catch it. Am I being a bit precious? Has anyone ever actually caught impetigo from a surface such as a door handle or something? Tell me I'm not going to get it!!

OP posts:
OldElPasoHadAChicken · 05/12/2019 19:58

I had it twice. All my friends had it to varying degrees. One had it over lots of his body. It also makes you feel run down.

Take some sprayable antibac plus wipes and handful into work with you. If she doesn't come in, pop disposable gloves in and go over her phone, desk, keyboard etc. Cuz ewwwwwww

Windygate · 05/12/2019 20:04

You can most certainly catch it from hard surfaces such as phones, door handles, toilet seats etc. She shouldn't be at work but I'm not sure you can say anything. You need to be super vigilant re hand hygiene

Original poster
Cakeandcustard123 · 05/12/2019 20:06

I was really hoping I was being precious over the whole thing and that nobody has ever actually heard of someone catching it!! Nobody else in the office seems bothered about it (or at least not that they have said!) Which is why I thought maybe I was being unreasonable. I do feel sorry for her, it looks so painful, but it's uncomfortable to watch her apply cream and then answer the phone etc. I'll try and tackle it a bit more directly tomorrow. "I was reading up about impetigo to see if there was anything that could help and I see it's really contagious so if you're going to stay in work please can you make sure you're washing your hands really well" maybe?

OP posts:
hobbler · 05/12/2019 20:09

Another one here to say she shouldn’t be at work at all.

AtrociousCircumstance · 05/12/2019 20:09

Yes she’ll be leaving her infected hand prints on communal doors, taps, in the loo - so irresponsible.

lljkk · 05/12/2019 20:10

This condition confuses me.

DS had it for at least 2 weeks before it got diagnosed.
Nobody else in our house got it. We took no precautions before and almost none after the diagnosis.
We are slobs (by MN standards). I will never buy anti-bac anything.
I guess impetigo is highly contageious to someone but definitely not to everyone.

64sNewName · 05/12/2019 20:11

I would just bypass her and speak to a senior person/HR. You’re not trained or paid to tackle a sensitive conversation like this.

Say you are uncomfortable about working alongside someone with such a highly contagious condition, especially as you can all clearly see that she isn’t being appropriately careful.

They should really send her home, unless they want a whole office full of infected people.

Jodie77 · 05/12/2019 20:12

@lljkk

Usually you have to have a cut or break in your skin somewhere for it to "get in"

ILearnedItFromABook · 05/12/2019 20:12

That would drive me crazy... So yes, I think you'll have to say something to her about it. You could also phrase it as you'd seen that it can spread to eyes, etc. (as a PP mentioned), which seems like it would be painful.

Perhaps if she realises she's potentially making things worse for herself, too, she'll be more likely to remember to touch it as little as possible and wash her hands every time she applies the cream.

Soontobe60 · 05/12/2019 20:16

I'd take her a bottle of hand sanitizer gel and ask her to use it every time she touches her sore.

Thefaceofboe · 05/12/2019 20:18

One of my colleagues had impetigo and had to be signed off work a week because it’s highly contagious (admittedly we do work with children)

theresthepurpleline · 05/12/2019 20:20

Impetigo is very infectious. Your colleague needs to apply the prescribed cream and wash her hands thoroughly before going back to her desk. And not touch her face! Children have to stay off school when they have impetigo - no reason for an adult to stay off work so long as they are sensible.

Excited101 · 05/12/2019 20:21

Impetigo is stupidly contagious, when I used to work abroad for a holiday company, anyone with it got sent home ASAP. We couldn’t risk it spreading to other staff or guests.

molemonkey · 05/12/2019 20:21

I have suffered with impetigo for the last 20 years and my most recent bout only cleared up 2 days ago after having it for 10 days on my chin/lip.
I have never given it to anyone that I know of because I wash my hands everytime I put the cream on and I know not to touch it ever!
Its highly infectious and so easy to catch if shes touching it and then touching things around the office.
I wouldnt be surprised if half the workplace catch it off her.
I'd definitely have to say something to her if it was me.

kristallen · 05/12/2019 20:22

My DS also had it and my DD caught it too before we knew what it was(we though it was his exema getting worse..). The GP said they could be at school (infants and primary) no problem. The cream she prescribed said they were infectious until they'd used the cream for 48 hrs..and somewhere online said until 48hrs AND no new areas.

So, sorry to say, but it's probably too late now. There's an incubation period. So just watch and be careful for symptoms. It's also possible that she caught it from someone else in the office who didn't have it so visibly, which is probably worth pointing out should anybody start saying anything.

Ideally surfaces would be cleaned too both to avoid her recatching it and stopping it spreading, but that would have to happen a few times to be effective.

bakingcupcakes · 05/12/2019 20:30

Someone in work had it a few weeks ago and the manager made her take a week off but we are customer facing and it's contagious so that's understandable.

I'm living in fear DS will catch it from school because he keeps picking at a spot on his face. He hasn't so far but I've been watching this spot like a hawk. I've got all this stuff planned for the run up to Christmas and I'll be livid if we have to cancel it all.

AllYouGoodGoodPeople · 05/12/2019 20:34

I've got a birthmark that apparently looks like impetigo - I can remember getting sent home from school more than once for itching it Grin

Did the doctor not tell her to wash her hands and not try her hardest to infect the whole office?

strawberryoranges · 05/12/2019 20:44

It’s very infectious. Honestly I’m rather disgusted.

It’s up to you to decide if you’d rather catch it or upset her feelings. She shouldn’t be at work and if she is at work being far, far more careful. Touching her impetigo and then the phone and rubbing cream is actual disgusting. I’m trying not to be OTT but it genuinely is. Angry

Drum2018 · 05/12/2019 20:44

I would just bypass her and speak to a senior person/HR. You’re not trained or paid to tackle a sensitive conversation like this.

Say you are uncomfortable about working alongside someone with such a highly contagious condition, especially as you can all clearly see that she isn’t being appropriately careful.

They should really send her home, unless they want a whole office full of infected people.

^ This. Pass the buck to management and tell them you could all catch it and be off for a week if they don't deal with it asap.

Skittlesandbeer · 05/12/2019 21:06

I’d be laying in wait for her to leave her desk, then misting everything with anti-bac every time.

And I’d not use the same loos as her, at all.

Northernsoullover · 05/12/2019 21:08

If anyone is interested in how I developed it which I'm sure you all are Wink I went horse riding cantered through a forest and got a teeny tiny scratch near my nose when a tree branch caught me. The GP assumes that some staph A from my nose must have got in the cut. Easily done even when you use a tissue.

Snowpatrolling · 05/12/2019 21:10

Highly contagious, had it loads through my child hood, nearly ended up in hospital with it one time as I was so poorly, worked with a girl who had it and she was wiping it with tissues and putting the tissues in the bin. I sent her home!
The dr would have told her it was contagious so I wouldn’t be worried about hurting her feelings Cos she’s being a bit dim about it. . It’s a nasty thing to get.

HungryBelly · 05/12/2019 21:14

I couldn’t cope with that OP. She definitely needs to be told.

gamerchick · 05/12/2019 21:18

Yeah this is your mangers problem OP.

Cacklingmags · 05/12/2019 21:19

She is re-infecting the tube of ointment everytime she applies it. The ointment will now be contaminated and she will need to get a new tube. She needs to apply the ointment to a cotton bud then to her face and not return the fffing cotton bud to the tube but use a fresh one. This is so bleeding basic. You can tell her this (kindly) and she may begin to understand what a highly contagious disease she is spreading round the office.

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