What should you know about impetigo how contagious?

The bacteria can pass from an open sore to another person through skin contact. Hands can carry them after touching a lesion, and towels, clothing, bedding or sports equipment can transfer material between skin surfaces. Children in close-contact settings may pass it to one another, but adults can also develop it. An itchy rash such as atopic dermatitis can cause broken skin, which may make infection easier to establish.

Contagiousness is linked to active, uncovered sores and drainage, not to a person’s cleanliness. Avoid touching or scratching lesions, and treat crusting skin as potentially infectious until a clinician has advised you about care and return to normal activities.

Cover sores with a clean dressing when possible. Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after applying treatment or changing dressings. Use separate towels, face cloths, razors and clothing; launder used fabrics and clean frequently touched surfaces. Do not share prescribed medicine. Seek medical advice promptly, because appropriate treatment can help control the infection and protect household contacts.

Arrange prompt assessment for a spreading rash, increasing tenderness, warmth or swelling, fever, or sores near the eyes. Seek urgent help for severe illness, confusion, breathing difficulty or rapidly worsening facial swelling. A clinician should review repeated episodes, extensive lesions, or infection in someone with reduced immune defenses.

Ask when the person can return to school, childcare, work or sport; whether household members need advice; how dressings and laundry should be handled; and whether topical or oral treatment is more appropriate for the sites involved.