Summer Skin Infection Cases Rise Among Children, Doctors Warn

Dermatologists across Israel are reporting more cases of impetigo among children as summer begins and swimming season starts. The contagious bacterial skin infection spreads quickly through direct contact and can recur if it is not treated properly. Doctors say the combination of short clothing, pools and increased skin-to-skin contact makes transmission easier, and scratching can spread it from one part of the body to another.

The report describes a family that initially dismissed small sores on a young girl’s buttocks, only to see them spread to other areas, including a large lesion on her nose. The family later learned she had impetigo, a highly contagious infection especially common in children. Dr. Efrat Bar-Ilan, a senior pediatric dermatologist at Clalit in the Dan-Petah Tikva district, said, "Impetigo is a major summer plague every year." She said children with atopic dermatitis are at higher risk, but even insect bites, scratches and minor skin injuries can let the bacteria in. "I do not have a day when I do not see several children with impetigo in the clinic," she said, adding that some cases become severe enough for hospitalization.

Bar-Ilan said the rash can appear almost anywhere, but often clusters around the nose, the face, or an earlier injury site. Its classic sign is a honey-colored crust. The disease is usually caused by Staphylococcus aureus, and many children carry the bacterium in their nostrils without symptoms, still able to infect others and sometimes themselves. She said recurrences can happen because of self-infection, reinfection at kindergarten or school, incomplete antibiotic treatment, or resistant bacteria. In one case, parents told her it was already the third outbreak in a few months.

Milder cases are usually treated with a topical antibiotic ointment and antiseptic soap, while more widespread cases may require oral antibiotics. Severe, spreading infections that do not respond to treatment can require hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics. For repeated cases, Bar-Ilan recommends a nasal swab and culture to check for carrier status, followed by antibiotic ointment inside the nostrils twice daily for 10 to 14 days if the bacterium is found. She advises children with recurrent infections to see a specialist dermatologist for a more precise diagnosis and treatment.

In northern Israel, Dr. Fouad Abu Ria of Clalit in the Haifa and Western Galilee district also said the number of cases has risen in the past month, with several children arriving every day. He linked the increase to summer swimming and group activities, and warned that itching makes the infection worse by spreading the bacteria to the face, limbs and other parts of the body.