Speaker 0 00:00:00 Hello and welcome to a Wonder Care podcast, formally known as Wonder Baba podcast. I'm Sheena Mitchell, pharmacist and mom of three. I combine healthcare and practical advice to support you on your parenting journey. This week is actually the final week in my Infectious Diseases series. I can't believe it. I dunno where the weeks have gone. And so I just really want to give a huge, huge thank you to Salon Plus for supporting me for this season. It's been fantastic working with Salon Plus. It's one of my favorite products. I think anyone who has followed my social media over the last five years knows that it was just such a brilliant match and I never work with brands that I don't believe in, and it's really, really important to me. I'll tell you more about their product in a minute. This week, I just didn't want to let the season finish without talking about a very random condition, and it's common, but no one seems to know about it. Speaker 0 00:01:01 It's like a mystery disease <laugh>. When I spotted in the pharmacy and I go, I think that's actually this. People are like, what are you talking about? I've never heard of that. Is that bad? Hopefully I can demystify it. And that condition is Mala contagiosum. If you know it, you'll know it cuz it's an annoying one. But if you don't prepare to learn, so 1.2 to 1.4% of children under 14 years will suffer from this condition. So it is actually a good one to be aware of. So what is it? It's caused by a viral infection, and this is the bad news. It can take up to 18 months to clear completely the good news and it's very important to remember. The good news is that it generally does clear up by itself, and it's actually fairly harmless in most cases. The symptoms normally include a number of small firm, raised little spots on the skin, and they're quite distinctive because they almost look like a wart and they have a little dimple in the middle. Speaker 0 00:02:03 They're usually pale or slightly pink. It tends to spread around the body. But usually no more than 30 spots appear. More. Good news is that the spots aren't generally painful, but they can sometimes be a little bit itchy. Sometimes you can get a cluster of these spots in certain areas like the armpit, the groin, or behind the knees. Like many infections, it's not normal to get it more than once. So hopefully if your child's been through it, they won't get it again. But that's not a hundred percent either. With molo contagiosum, it's a virus. So it spreads by direct skin, skin contact, or by sharing items such as towels and clothes. So how do you manage this at home if you think your child has it? Well, if you suspect malcum contig in your child, then it's a good idea to bring them to the GP for diagnosis. Speaker 0 00:02:51 So sometimes the doctor might want to take a little sample, so a biopsy to test one of the spots for the virus, but they won't always do that. The doctor will also want to make sure that they're happy with the location of any spots. If there are ones located in very sensitive areas like near the eyelids, they want to make sure that they don't become sore or complicated. They'll also talk to you about your child's medical history and make sure that there's no underlying causes such as medicines or illness, which may cause them to have a weak immune system. I just want to take a little break for a second to say that I'm delighted to partner again with one of my all-time favorite products. Cell plus. This is the world's first hundred percent natural dry cell therapy device. It's clinically proven to leave a wide range of allergens in respiratory conditions. Speaker 0 00:03:38 The salt therapy method has been trusted for generations and is now hugely popular worldwide. As more and more people recognize the superb results achieved from a natural and non-invasive method, this device will help you breathe easier and sleep better. Once the doctor's done their bit, they'll advise you on the treatment. So what are your treatment options? To put it, quite frankly, treatment is not normally recommended in children. And the reason is that this virus is self-limiting. So it will go away on its own accord, even though it can last for many months. It is generally harmless. So do try to remember that. Obviously, if some of the spots become irritated or uncomfortable, then treatment is considered, but only when necessary because the treatments can be sore and can cause damage to the skin. So you can see here with medicine, we always are balancing the risk versus the benefit, and molas Contag is a condition where generally the risk of using treatment is actually greater than the benefit. Speaker 0 00:04:43 If a treatment is recommended, it could include topical applications such as gels and creams, which contain ingredients such as benzo peroxide, t Trone, Amico and Pothalo Toin. But your doctor will take into account that these prescription products can actually cause significant irritation and skin damage, not to mention all of the discomfort that your child will put up with. So with any look, your child spots will remain painless and will disappear at their own time. Another treatment option would be cryotherapy. You might be familiar with this term because it's commonly used on warts. It involves each spot being individually frozen with liquid nitrogen for a few seconds. It can take a few attempts with few weeks break in between treatments. It's not exactly an easy option for a child either. Specialists may consider other methods if the spots are having a serious impact on your child's quality of life. Speaker 0 00:05:36 But I suppose it's important to remember that in most cases the spots are harmless and the treatment isn't normally required because this condition mostly affects under 14 year olds. It is a bit easier because often children don't become kind of more self-aware until they're over 10 maybe. You know, you might be looking at it going, God, that's an awful rash. But what I would say is just don't make much of it to your child. Just be like, oh yeah, that's a little rash. That's normal. That'll go in a while and just help your child cope with it that way. So you're acknowledging that there is something there and you can say that you know it's a little rash, but it is harmless. So just to reassure them that they're not unwell and they might have it for a few months and that it'll go away. Speaker 0 00:06:19 I often lie to my children in these kind of situations and tell them I had it and ah, yeah, sure, that was fine, <laugh>. So you know, it's important to take on their concerns, but you don't wanna work them up over it either. Things you can do and some little tips are try and prevent the spread as much as you can by stopping your child from scratching and itching the spots if at all possible. You can also help by stopping them from sharing baths or towels or clothing with other family members. It is important to know that it's not likely to pass on to other family members or friends during normal activities. Your child does not need to stay home. They don't need to avoid crash or school or general daily activities. It's just more really on the hygiene side of things, just to be careful. Speaker 0 00:07:04 One problem with the spots, if they're being scratched, if they're itchy, obviously you can do damage to the integrity of the skin and there is then a chance of a secondary bacterial infection. This can lead to kind of the poor healing of a spot and potential scarring. So do keep an eye. And if your child is very itchy and they're over two, you can use one of the over-the-counter antihistamine solutions. Be really vigilant about your child's eyes. So if you think that they're being affected by the spots, do seek a doctor's opinion. You know, a spot needs to be looked at if it's showing any signs of redness, irritation, or swelling overall, that is not the most glamorous of the infectious diseases, but I thought it was really important to include in this season, and I just didn't want it to end without making people aware of it, because it can be one that parents become very uncomfortable with and I think a lot of that is because they don't know what it is. Speaker 0 00:07:58 Hopefully now you can rest assured that it will go away on its own and you know what to look for in case you do need to seek a GPS help. If you find this podcast helpful, it would be a big help to me if you could give it a little review or follow or subscribe. And that just helps streaming platforms to show my podcast to more people. And it's really important to me to try and share as much free accessible healthcare information as I can. And again, I'd like to thank my sponsor, Sal Plus for supporting me with that over the last two seasons. I won't be taking a big break. So I will have a special episode next week and then the week after I start Season four. Season four. Can you believe it? I can't believe it. Wow. So thank you all so much for your support. I think everyone will be happy to know that season four is drum roll, please. Skincare, <laugh>. Oh my goodness. I cannot wait to dive into Family Skincare. It's such an important topic and it's gonna be a fantastic season. So I'm really looking forward to bringing that to you. Talk to you soon.