{"id":6203,"date":"2019-05-08T07:10:10","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T07:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=6203"},"modified":"2021-06-08T18:17:02","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T18:17:02","slug":"molluscum-contagiosum-14-things-you-should-keep-in-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/molluscum-contagiosum-14-things-you-should-keep-in-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"Molluscum Contagiosum: 14 Things You Should Keep in Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A member of the poxvirus family, Molluscum contagiosum is a highly contagious virus that thrives in warm and humid climates. It is also very prevalent in places where people live in close quarters, either by the practice of culture or the necessity of poverty.
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The virus manages to infect people via small breaks in the skin\u2019s surface, sometimes not even visible to the naked eye. A lot of people have immunity to the virus, and so may never experience symptoms, but for many other people who have no resistance, the typical growths of the infection will start to become visible between 2 to 8 weeks after the initial infection.
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The virus spreads very easily and children are amongst the most likely of demographics to pick it up and spread it, given their tendency to be very hands-on and their lack of hygiene which is dependent on their stage of development and social circumstances. Here are 8 things to bear in mind about Molluscum contagiosum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.     Can be spread between sexual partners<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whilst it is most often children who become infected with Molluscum contagiosum<\/a>, it is true that sexual contact can spread the virus between adults and teens. This virus is not always categorized as a sexually transmitted disease, although in some quarters it is, given that sexually active people may contract the virus through close skin to skin contact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn’t have to be sexual contact though, which causes it to spread, and so there is no need for moral panic whenever a child is diagnosed. This \u2018need to know’ information about Molluscum contagiosum is purely for public knowledge, and is by no means an assessment as to how a person picked up the infection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In truth, children are likely to pick it up from touching toys, clothes, objects, and surfaces, as well as other children who may be infected. It is true though, that sexual contact can cause the virus to spread between sexually active people, hence it’s listing here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2.     Can be spread from one part of the body to another<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Just like conditions such as herpes or herpangina<\/a>, this infection can be spread by a carrier from one part of their body to another. For this reason, children need regular reminders of two things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first reminder needed is that where possible, children should refrain from messing with, aggravating or picking at the spots, so as not to get any of the virus on their fingers. The second reminder that must be reinforced over and over again is the need to wash hands thoroughly and regularly, to ensure that the virus is removed from fingertips and fingernails whenever it manages to sneak its way aboard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We touch our faces thousands of times a day, and if the hands are moving back and forth between Molluscum contagiosum infected parts of the body and the face, it should come as no surprise to see the infection spread beyond the site of initial infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3.     Spreads easily<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The infection can spread in a variety of ways, but the overarching theme of all of these examples is that they are all very easily achieved. Skin <\/a>to skin contact is perhaps the easiest way of spreading the infection and this goes for two types of spreading. A person can spread the infection to other parts of their own body through the skin to skin contact, but they can also pass it on to another person when skin touches the skin as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes it can be unavoidable, but it’s worth trying to avoid this type of contact. As mentioned earlier, the closeness and intimacy afforded by sexual contact can also facilitate the spreading of the infection, but it is the indirect capability of the virus to spread that is perhaps the hardest to guard against. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A carrier touching anything from toys to car door handles to kitchen surfaces can create an opportunity for the infection to spread, as all it takes is for someone else to come into contact with that site and a few days later, they could see similar spots begin to emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4.     Kids can get it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kids always seem to get lumbered with the worst illnesses in their early lives. It seems like a pretty raw deal that illnesses and infections should target the young, just as they do the old and infirm, but it makes perfect sense when you think about it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the animal kingdom, a lion targets the weakest buffalo as it knows that on the face of it, it’s got an easier meal, but under the surface, it also knows that it can keep itself going for longer by picking off the sick and the weak. The Molluscum contagios virus works in the same way, living off the closeness that children share with each other and hopping from vessel to vessel, taking root in the form of its trademark spots and pus-filled blisters<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once it’s stayed the course in one person, all it needs is a little skin to skin contact for direct transmission and failing that, it’s happy to cling to a door handle where it’ll sit and happily wait to be picked up by its next victim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5.     How infection occurs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Infection <\/a>occurs in one of the sneakiest ways imaginable. If you poured water over a seemingly flat surface, it would always manage to find the tiniest crack to seep through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The virus works similarly to this, taking advantage of the most miniature of skin breakages, to infiltrate the defenses. Once inside the body, the infection takes hold before producing the symptomatic spots on the surface of the skin. The blisters that form from these spots act as tiny little snow globes, each holding the virus in the form of a waxy pus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ensuring this pus isn\u2019t transferred to other parts of the skin or on to anyone else is a way of limiting the infection, though, as anyone who has experienced Molluscum contagiosum will confirm, this is much easier said than done, especially where kids are concerned. Curiosity killed the cat, but it can spread Molluscum contagiosum just as easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6.     Many people are immune<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Without even knowing it, many people are completely immune to infection already, the lucky things, and so even if the virus manages to infiltrate their imperfections, they won\u2019t experience any of the horrible spots and blisters which characterize the infection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you’ve had the infection, it’s very unlikely that you’ll get it again, but as with chickenpox<\/a>, this isn’t an exact science. You could just be unlucky. Given that the infection is not ever really a particularly serious one, there is little by way of research into a vaccine or a specific cure, however, serious cases can leave scarring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike chickenpox, which parents are often keen for their children to have at some stage to \u2018get it out of the way’, the much more unpleasant blisters that come with Molluscum contagiosum make this an infection that most would rather avoid altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7.     Where it thrives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Like a swamp monster, Molluscum contagiosum loves the sweaty, damp, dark and dreary places. This is where it thrives and this is where it is at its most potent. Athletes and sweaty <\/a>people beware, it’s coming for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with most infections, to be honest, Molluscum contagiosum is no different in that it likes to exist in hot, humid environments. The proximity of residents to each other in developing countries, especially in places with a hot and temperate climate, is a huge factor in helping the infection thrive. Usually in these places, if one child is infected, it is only a matter of time before the other children suffer the same fate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It likes to live in sweaty crevices on the body and can also exist on nonhuman objects like work surfaces and toys, where it waits to find another vessel to attach itself to. Cleanliness and hygiene are the answers, but neither could be referred to as a failsafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8.     Who is at risk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Everyone and anyone are at risk of becoming infected with Molluscum contagiosum, and it is not especially choosy when it comes to selecting a victim unless they are particularly weak, to begin with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, people with weak immune systems<\/a> such as the already sick, the old and the very young, are more likely to pick up the infection. Sexually active people, like teens and young adults, may also be likely to become infected, due to frequent skin to skin contact, but there are other factors at play. Poverty and the associated poor living standards of impoverished people and places can also increase the risk of someone becoming infected with Molluscum contagiosum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lack of proper toileting facilities and clean water can allow the virus to spread and thrive more quickly and effectively than it might in a cleaner environment. Underdeveloped countries, therefore, and the people who live there, are most at risk of infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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