DOCTOR FRANK are you around tonight? IMPETIGO - how long does the bacteria live on items (clothing, toys etc)?

My son had a scratch on his hand and a girl with impetigo on her nose gave him an early Christmas card, I took it off him and opened it for him but maybe I shut the stable door after the horse had bolted!

His scratch looked inflamed over the weekend so I took him to the GP today (Monday) as a precaution. The doc' couldn't be sure if it's impetigo but we are now treating it as such (I know Fucidin is good for so many bugs so if there is an infection of any kind hopefully that'll deal with it)

I just need to know, if it IS impetigo, how long the bug stays alive on objects or on people without cuts or scratches.

I will keep him out of nursery for the advised time (shame if it ISN'T something contagious!)

I just want to be sure about how infectious this is through contamination from toys, clothes etc.

I am assuming I am right not to let him share a bath with his sister - they usually do.

Wow! 11 days is long enough, but 60 - that is somewhat longer than I expected...I need to be extra careful as my daughter has a gastrostomy too. Thanks for the info Dr Frank!

He should not share a bath, towels or flannels with his sister.
There have been a few studies on staphylococcus on common fomites, (inanimate objects) mean survival time was 11 days, but some organisms survived for more than 60 days!

Hi, it is highly nfectious, but you are doing ok with the fucidin cream, if that one doesnt work try mupirocin which ive always found works better with impetigo.

The bacterias that cause it (strep and staph) both live harmlessly on the skin anyway, no one really knows why some kids get it and some never get affected by it. I dont know how long it can survive on things like blankets, but Ive always washed clothes, bed linen and towels etc daily while its still at the infectious stage.

Best thing to stop infection is to keep the area clean and dry, try to stop him picking at it, and you are right in not letting him share the bath.

Good general hygiene is important, but in all honesty, kids get impetigo al the time, they seem to grow out of it, its definitely more common in kids than adults, so all you can do is keep it clean etc and hope for the best!

Make sure he is washing his hands, as he will probably be touching the area unconciously.

Once the yellow pus has dried up, its ok to send him back to nursery, but while the puss is there is when it is most contagious.