Everyone pays attention and worries about treatment of molluscum contagiosum, but prevention is also very important. Molluscum can spread to other parts of your body and can spread to other people as well. The virus lives in the skin and until the disappearance of the last lesion the disease can be contagious. Therefore, prevention is very important and you should follow the necessary steps to prevent the disease spread.
How Do You Stop Molluscum Contagiosum From Spreading?
Wash Your Hands And Maintain A Good Personal Hygiene
One important thing you can do to stop molluscum contagiosum is to wash your hands thoroughly. By washing your hands, it removes the molluscum virus and other germs and prevent the spreading of these diseases to other people. You should follow the proper method of hand washing, just washing your hands with soap is not enough and it’s not the proper way to prevent infections. Maintain a good personal hygiene. Have a daily body wash or shower and keep your affected areas dry and clean. Wipe the affected areas from a separate towel.
Do Not Touch The Molluscum Lesions
What we mean by not touching is that you do not pick or scratch the molluscum contagiosum lesions. When you scratch or pick the lesion the virus can remain in your nails and finger tips and when you touch the other parts of your body it can spread to that area and if you touch someone else it can spread to that person as well. The lesions are itchy and you might find it hard not to scratch, so you one thing is you can cover the lesion and wash your hands if you touch the lesion before doing anything else.
Keep Molluscum Lesion Covered
There are several benefits of covering the molluscum contagiosum lesion, one thing is it stops the spread of the virus to other parts of your body (especially when you sleep this prevent the virus spreading through bed linens) and to other people and the other thing is it might reduce the itchy feeling. Cover the lesion with a clean piece of cloth or bandage and change those regularly. Keep the affected skin clean and dry. Avoid shaving or electrolysis of the affected skin.
Do Not Share Your Personal Items
Clothes, towels and other personal items should not be shared with anyone. You should keep all your personal items to yourself. Wear clean dry clothes and regularly change your bed linens. Do not share hair brushes, tooth brushes, soap or wrist watches with anyone if you want to stop molluscum contagiosum from spreading.
Do Not Engage In Certain Sports Activities
If you have molluscum contagiosum you should not engage in contact sports such as football, basketball, wrestling and rugby. Even with well covered clothes and bandages there can be accidents and molluscum contagiosum can be transmitted to other people. In wet environment the spread of molluscum virus is high therefore, swimming should be avoided unless all lesions are covered by a watertight bandage. Personal items such as towels, swim suits, goggles should not be shared. Kick boards and water toys should not be used unless all lesion can be covered by a watertight bandage.
Avoid Sexual Activity If Lesions Are Present In The Genital Area
If you have molluscum contagiosum lesion closer to your genital area then avoiding sexual activity is advised until the lesions are treated and cleared completely. You can ask your doctor for more advice and when it would be safe to engage in sexual activity.
Conclusion
Molluscum contagiosum can spread to other parts of your body and can spread to other people as well. The virus lives in the skin and until the disappearance of the last lesion the disease can be contagious. Therefore, prevention is very important and you should follow the necessary steps to prevent disease spread. There are some easy, simple steps you need to follow in order to prevent disease spread. Wash your hands and maintain good personal hygiene, do not scratch or pick the molluscum lesions, keep the lesions covered, do not share your personal items, do not engage in contact sports or swimming and avoid sexual contact if you have lesion in your genital area.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021). Molluscum Contagiosum. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/molluscum-contagiosum/index.html
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American Academy of Dermatology Association. (n.d.). Molluscum Contagiosum: Tips for Managing. https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/molluscum-contagiosum-tips
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National Institutes of Health (NIH) – MedlinePlus. (2021). Molluscum Contagiosum. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000826.htm
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Healthline. (2021). Molluscum Contagiosum: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment. https://www.healthline.com/health/molluscum-contagiosum
Also Read:
- Molluscum Contagiosum (MC): Causes, Risk Factors, Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention
- Can Adults Get Molluscum From Child & How To Stop Molluscum Contagiosum From Spreading?
- Alternative Treatment For Molluscum Contagiosum
- Can Molluscum Contagiosum Be Cured?
- How Long Does Molluscum Contagiosum Last?
- Is Molluscum Contagiosum The Same As HPV?
- What Causes You To Have Molluscum Contagiosum?