Molluscum Contagiosum

[Pestle]

This is a fun one. I found a thread from 2015 on the old forum, but I'd like to know current practices. I know the advice on many contagious diseases has shifted from "kick them out of the daycare" to "this is something that the community has to live with."

My client was proactive in getting a diagnosis but it still took several weeks before the doctor concluded this is what they are dealing with. The open lesions appeared on the buttocks and so everybody assumed it was some kind of diaper rash or eczema. Those have long since healed, and there are now non-open bumps on the buttocks and above the elbows. The client says that, according to the doctor, as long as the lesions are open, the child can remain in care. The client will keep the child home if and when any of the lesions open.

I have a big passel of toddlers and oral explorers right now, so it's a little bit stressful, but my inclination is to just operate as normal for this family unless I see any open lesions. Do you agree with that?

[Cat Herder]

"If it's ugly, cover it." Old EMS rule.

Open or closed, keep it covered and you should be fine. Try kerlix Self Adhesive if sleeves are too much. Avoid latex bandaids since they will be wearing them longterm. https://www.amazon.com/Self-Adherent...st_sto_dp&th=1

[Blackcat31]

I have one in care right now and I allow them to be in attendance as long as there are no open spots and as long as all other spots not covered completely with clothing (out of reach of picking or scratching) are covered. Child turned 2 last November. Child wears clear bandages over all spots on their chest and neck as they are easily accessible to them and I don't want to see spread due to age. (oral sensory exploration etc)

Here is the fact sheet my state's health department gives us:

https://www.hennepin.us/-/media/henn...m-provider.pdf


It says:

"Spread by direct skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. It can also be spread by contact with contaminated objects and surfaces such as shared clothes, towels, wash cloths, gym or pool equipment, and wrestling mats. Persons with molluscum contagiosum can accidentally spread the virus to other parts of their body. This can occur by touching or scratching the bumps and then touching another part of the body (autoinoculation).

Exclusion for Childcare and School: None. Encourage parents/guardians to cover bumps with clothing when there is a possibility that others will come in contact with the skin. If not covered by clothing, cover with a bandage."

[Pestle]

OK; so what I'm hearing is that this child needs to be sent in loosefitting, long pants and sleeves. Yes?

We are on our third consecutive year of record-breaking heat here, and it's already above 90° in the daytime. This is one of those families that wears skimpy halters and bubble dresses in the summer. Going to be interesting to try to get them to buy a new wardrobe.

[Cat Herder]

Rash guards and athletic leggings will work well. Cool, fast drying and keeps them from getting sunburn. If it matters to her mother, she will find a way. Just like the rest of us. Covered or go home. I am further south than you with bonus creeks on the property. Wet, humid and hot every day. lol!

[Cat Herder]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...DER&th=1&psc=1 2t girls rash guard $17.40

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...KIKX0DER&psc=1 fast dry summer leggings 2 for $9.03

[BaileeB]

So my daughter actually has this. She has for the past year or so. She is 4.5 and none of her cousins (2, 2.5) or the other daycare children have gotten it from her. I keep her in clothes that cover her bumps as much as possible and if it’s warm out, she wears those big patch bandaids that stay on all day. She knows she has to wash hands if she touches them so after a week of making her constantly wash hands she finally got it and is much better about leaving them alone. I know it’s easier with older kids but as a parent who had a child with them, I don’t think it’s asking a lot to tell the parents to keep them covered. Bandaids, clothes, whatever is necessary and depending on child’s age and ability to understand, talk with them about leaving them alone.

[Pestle]

This child just turned two years old and, as I was reading your comment, was industriously licking her entire arm from wrist to elbow.

[BaileeB]

Okay that made me LOL imagining that. I’m so sorry 😂 I would tell DCP that there needs to be something covering the bumps (open or not) at all times. My daughters would get very itchy before opening and if she scratched them they could open and spread even if you couldn’t visibly see them open. So our doctor told us that they should remain covered whenever she was around other kids such as school or daycare

[e.j.]

I had a dcg several years ago who had it. She did dress in clothing that, for the most part, covered the areas affected. No one else got it and she was with me until she went to kindergarten. I had never heard about the condition and didn't realize it was contagious until dcg had been with me for a couple of years. Dcm finally decided to tell me what it was. She had always given me relatively vague answers anytime I questioned her about the bumps I saw. Had I realized they were contagious, I would have been more anxious about them and taken more care to make sure they were covered completely when dcg was playing with the other kids. We were lucky they didn't spread to others!

[Pestle]

Next question: given that this is an extremely long term infection and also an STI, do you notify all the families that there is a case in the daycare, or does that freak people out and mean that you lose business? Like, notifying families would also mean notifying new clients as well, and I guess also notifying potential new clients before they start.

[Blackcat31]

I don't notify anyone else. I double checked with licensing and they said I am not required to report to other parents as long as the child with it has it under control and keeps all spots covered. If the child had an outbreak of infected spots and had close skin to skin contact with others, then I should follow best practice and inform those impacted.

[Polka Tots]

Hi!

I have dealt with molluscum four times now. I would definitely advise you to keep them completely covered. Yes, it is a common virus, but some children can get it bad and it can last for years. The first time I was exposed to molluscum was from the body I nannied for. They only had maybe about 12 solid bumps each of their knees. No open ones at all. And from that, my son (who I took with me, as this was a summer job- so they were all in shorts) got it within two weeks on his knees. And then from there, I got and my mother got it. Ugh…. And I had it all the way through my pregnancy with second child. I’m adults they tend to show up on your inner leg, which they did for my mother and I.

I eradicated the bumps on my son with covering them in apple cider vinegar each night. It took probably about 4 months to get rid of it. And the boys I nannied for in the summer- they still had them 3 years later!

And then I cared for a boy whose mother hid them from me. He spilled the beans and pulled up his pant leg (it was winter, we were always in pants) and said: look at my rash. I knew what it was right away. The mother knew, as she had taken him to the doctor. She brushed it off, but I was adamant they be covered. She did cover them and no one else got it.

And lastly, my two boys (now older) got it during Covid lockdown. I’m like??? We haven’t been anywhere, expect we saw our neighbor. Well… I took a look at my neighbors knee and sure enough, his knees were dotted with them. My older son got them first (as this was his friend), but luckily he told me he had a bump (as he remembered them from years ago) and I looked him over for any others. He only had 3. Maybe it wasn’t as bad, because 1) we caught it early 2) maybe he has a bit of immunity… I don’t know, but I was able to get rid of them within a week with apple cider vinegar. And then it was a waiting game with my 4 year old. Sure enough, he got them a few weeks later. It took a few months to get rid of them on him (assuming because it was his first time).

I know it’s common in children, but I just wish parents were honest and didn’t try to hide it. I had to reach out to my neighbor and ask if she knew her child had molluscum. It would have been one thing if she didn’t know about it, but she said sheepishly… “oh yeah. I know it. His brother has it really bad”. If I had known about it, I wouldn’t have let her son and my son sit in a wading pool together. 🙄

[Polka Tots]

Meant to say from the boys I nannied for (not body). 🙃