Impetigo

Impetigo is a common, highly contagious bacterial skin infection, most often affecting young children, that causes honey-coloured crusted sores, typically on the face or hands.

• Small red sores or blisters, often around the nose, mouth, or on the hands, that quickly burst
• A characteristic honey-coloured or golden crust forms over the sores as they heal
• Itching around the affected area
• Sores can spread to nearby skin through scratching or touching

• Caused by bacteria, most commonly Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes, entering through small breaks in the skin, such as insect bites, cuts, or areas irritated by eczema.
• Highly contagious and spreads easily through direct skin contact or contact with contaminated items such as towels or clothing.
• Risk is increased in warm climates, crowded living conditions, and close-contact settings such as schools and childcare.

• Diagnosed clinically based on the characteristic honey-coloured crusted sores, typically on the face or hands.
• Swabs for bacterial culture are occasionally used in widespread, recurrent, or treatment-resistant cases.

Limited impetigo is treated with a topical antibiotic ointment, such as fusidic acid, applied several times daily for about a week.

More widespread impetigo, or infection not responding to topical treatment, is treated with an oral antibiotic such as flucloxacillin or amoxicillin-clavulanate.

Gently soaking and removing crusts with warm water before applying treatment can improve how well topical medicine penetrates the skin.

Good hand hygiene and avoiding scratching help prevent the infection from spreading to other parts of the body or to other people.

• Keep skin clean and promptly treat cuts, insect bites, or areas of irritated skin.
• Avoid sharing towels, clothing, or bedding with an infected person.
• Keep fingernails short and encourage handwashing to reduce spread from scratching.
• Keep children with active impetigo away from school or childcare until sores are healed or treatment has been started, per local facility guidance.