How contagious are verrucas?

[Fargo79]

DD has a friend over today. They've been running around barefoot, wearing each others sandals in the garden and treading all over various bits of play equipment with nothing on their feet. Friend proudly announced about 10 mins ago that she's got a verruca 🤦 How likely is it that we're all going to have verrucas and warts now? I've sprayed DD's feet, crocs and the play equipment with disinfectant and have given the friend a pair of socks to wear but they've been running everywhere for hours so it feels fairly futile.

Verrucae are a form of HPV virus and yes they are very easy to catch. In children, from a podiatry point of view, we tend to treat them by covering them with zinc oxide tape, to prevent others catching them. Your sprays are likely to be anti bacterial which sadly wont prevent viral spread.

Thanks @WowIlikereallyhateyou. I used a Dettol spray which says it kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses but I'm guessing that's probably clever marketing! I'm so annoyed. Who sends their kid to someone else's house with no socks on and a verruca?? I wouldn't dream of it.

I have 4 children and my dd had a verucca about a year ago and didn’t tell us, she had been walking around our floors and patio bare foot for months and none of us wear shoes at home. I treated it when she eventually mentioned it but neither I Dh or our other children have one. Fingers crossed you may be fine.

This is very reassuring, thank you! Fingers crossed 🤞