MOLLUSCUM CONTAGIOSUM

Molluscum contagiosum (MC) is a viral infection caused by one of the smallpox viruses that affects the skin and sometimes the mucous membranes.

It is more common in children between the ages of one year and ten years old by acquiring it through contact with other children. Adults are much less likely to be infected. You can get infected with molluscum contagiosum on the beach, in the sandbox, in the pool, when using someone else’s clothes. In adults, as a rule, infection occurs during sexual contact, so there are rashes on the genitals, on the inner surface of the thighs, on the stomach. In children, pimples-nodules come out on the face, on the hands, on the shoulders, on the chest and abdomen.

It is difficult to determine the exact source of infection, because the disease can manifest itself in 2 weeks or 3 months.

Molluscum contagiosum in people with normal immune systems usually disappears spontaneously after a few months or years. In patients with AIDS or other diseases affecting the immune system, the damage connected with exposure to molluscum contagiosum сan be more extensive.

Treatment

Various methods of cauterization are used: chemical (iodine, hydrogen peroxide, celandine and acids), thermal (laser, surgical diathermy, cryotherapy) and others. Like all viral infections, it is immune to alcohol-based antiseptics, including brilliant green. The formation of molluscum contagiosum cannot be dried and damaged. When touching, it is necessary to expose all surfaces to disinfection or rinse well with soap.

Treatment is better performed by the specialist because of the sterility and thoroughness. Additionally, drugs that help to maintain the immune system, various antiviral ointments and tablets are used. Treatment is long-term, daily prevention.

Unlike herpes, which can be in the body for years and give relapses, the molluscum contagiosum affects only the skin and completely disappears after the last rash dies off. However, immunity to this virus is temporary and human can become infected again. Also, if all the formations seem to have disappeared, it is likely that a few small ones have been preserved and therefore unnoticed.