Your Childrens Health

Fungal infections are no fun to have and can be very itchy and at times very painful. It may not be as easy as you think to prevent your little ones from ever getting a fungal infection. The most common fungal infections include diaper rash, ringworm, and athlete’s feet. There are ways to help relieve the symptoms once they start and ways to try your best not to be exposed to the fungus, but it is more than likely probable that sometime in their life they will have a fungal infection.

Diaper rash is one of the most common fungal infections that every baby has sometime. It can be sore, red, scaly and very tender. Most of the time a diaper rash is from diapers that are too tight or from wearing dirty or wet diapers for longer than they should, some laundry detergent can cause diaper rashes and even baby wipes. Some babies are more prone to diaper rashes and sensitivity to fragrant detergents and wipes. The best way to clear up and prevent diaper rash is by changing the baby as soon as they soil the diaper, clean the area well with mild soap and water, and remembering to keep the area as dry as possible. You can use a cream with zinc oxide at every diaper change to aid in keeping the area dry. If you can let your baby go diaper-less for a couple of hours a day.

As your child gets older and is in school, you will have to teach them about jock itch, athlete’s feet and ringworm. These types of fungal infections thrive in locker rooms and even restrooms where children walk around barefoot. All three of these cause itchy skin. All of these live in the soil and can be contracted from a pet or another person. Symptoms of ringworm include a small red sore that looks like a pimple that grows into a patchy, itchy, flaky ring. Symptoms of jock itch include itching or burning of the groin, thigh or anal area, redness in the area, and flaking or peeling skin. Symptoms of athlete’s feet include itching, burning, redness, and stinging on the soles of the feet. The skin may even flake, peel, blister, or crack. The treatment of all of these fungal infections includes using an anti-fungal cream until all symptoms are gone. To prevent fungal infections of this type you should always remember cleanliness is the best prevention. Remember to teach your child not to use others combs, brushes, towels, and to wash and dry their bodies completely before dressing.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 8th, 2006 at 7:49 pm and is filed under Fungal Infections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.