Impetigo =(

[Muddy4paws]

Been told yesterday I have impetigo. Ive had a very sore rash for the last 2 weeks and finally went to the doctors and hes given me antibiotics and cream.



my mum is blaming my new pet rat for it, She wants me to get rid of him but I dont think thats going to happen anytime soon!

Has anyone had this? I know the routine of having you own towels, etc but I've been told its so easy to spread. I wont post photos because I find it very gross to be honest.

My doctor didnt say if I should stay at home or go to work and today I've been told by the NHS direct that they dont have guidelines for adults because its normally children who get it. Ive been told by my collegues parents that I should stay at home because its very catching. Will it be even with antibiotics?

[anna_66]

I'm very sorry to hear this. I hope it heals fast.

I'd never heard of it before so I googled it, I understand why you find it gross...sorry

[lbaker]

I had it when I was about 10 or 11. Dr didn't know how it happened to me, only my best friend at school had it at the same time. We were both told we definately could not go to school while the sores (boils? whatever) were apparent. We didn't feel poorly and were aloud to play together so it wasn't really so dreadful in my case. Good luck. There was no mention of any pet being responsible and I had plenty at the time.

[Husky_mom]

I also had to goggle it...... sorry you have it...... hope it clears soon

this i found on the matter
Impetigo

another one

and whatever you do DON´T SCRATCH!!!.......EVER!!!......

[cassiesmom]

Impetigo is a bacterial infection of the skin. It can be very contagious. The sores are similar to chickenpox - initially weepy and then crust over, and extremely itchy. My mom has a friend who got it during cancer treatment because her immune response was down.

[Callie]

I lived on a farm and impetigo came in with a batch of new chicks we had ordered (or so it seemed). Several handlers, including me, got it. We treated the sores with ammoniated mercury 5% and they healed fairly quickly.

We were told that it is commonly in the environment and most exposures do not result in skin rashes unless there is a scratch or open sore or wound somewhere. So, it may or may not be from a specific animal. Nonetheless, I'd isolate the suspected animal for a couple of weeks and see if any lesions or hair loss (what it often does to animals who get it as the first symptom) occurs so you can avoid spreading it if the animal is the source.

We were told not to cover or bandage the sores as the air helps it dry and heal and definitely do not scratch as it will start new sores and spread it. Wash hands and scrub under nails after applying ointment with good hot soapy water and dry thoroughly to decrease problems.

Hope this helps.

Callie