Molluscum contagiosum epidemic in Israel: thousands of children infect each other

At the height of the swimming season in Israel, there is a sharp increase in the incidence of molluscum contagiosum, a viral skin disease that most often occurs in children aged two to six years and manifests itself in small skin nodules. According to ITV Channel 12 news service, the spread of infection is facilitated by swimming pools, communal bathing and close contact between children.

Infection occurs through direct contact with a sick child or through shared objects, such as towels. However, several months may pass from the moment of infection to the appearance of rashes. The rashes are accompanied by itching, children scratch them, which leads to secondary bacterial infections. Most often, rashes appear on areas of the body covered by clothing – in the armpits, on the waist and limbs, and sometimes also on the neck and face.

According to the head of the dermatovenerology clinic and head of the pediatric dermatology service at the Wolfson Medical Center, Dr. Itzhak Confino, molluscum contagiosum is one of the most common skin diseases in preschool children.

According to his estimates, at least six children with this diagnosis come to the clinic every day, but the problem is that not all of them seek medical help in a timely manner. “There are now hundreds and even thousands of children walking around the country with viral warts of varying severity – from single elements to dozens of rashes all over the body,” notes Dr. Confino.

Dr. Confino emphasizes that the virus is not airborne, but only spread through direct contact: “If two siblings are bathing together in the same bath and one has molluscum contagiosum, the likelihood of infecting the other is very high. Swimming pools also contribute to the spread, which is why we see an increase in the number of children with such rashes in the summer and late season.”

In most cases, you can wait until the disease goes away on its own. However, if there are a large number of rashes, severe itching, secondary infections, or the risk of infecting other family members, treatment may be worth considering. Unfortunately, there are no medications that eliminate the virus itself, but there are methods that remove the rash and reduce the further spread of infection.