Molloscum from cousin

amother

Seagreen

Mon, Jul 23 2018, 11:40 am

I just returned from a vacation with my sister and her family. We were all at the beach together, my kids (ranging 4 years to 12) and her DS aged 2 and infant.

Her DS who is 2, does not like to wear shirts at all, which is not really a problem - but, I noticed about halfway through the vacation that he had about 15 bumps all over his torso. I was alarmed, and her DH said, "oh, he's not sick, he just has molloscum. Our pediatrician said not to worry, it will go away in a year or two."

I hadn't heard of this before but I looked it up and it seems like it's really contagious. I am furious. My kids had been playing with, and touching, those bumps for days. My sister and her DH had said nothing to me about this, and done nothing to cover up the bumps or even make their son wear a shirt. I get that it's hard, but now I'm worried that my kids caught it. And with 6 if us in the house, the virus could go all around. My pre-teen daughter would be mortified to have these bumps - it's a LOT different for middle school girls than for a 2 year old. And if one of my kids got it, it would take a lot of work over years to keep it from spreading to other kids....

I didn't notice it earlier because I was so busy dealing with my 4 kids that I just didn't slow down and take a minute to realize. My nephew is very rambunctious and my kids were in contact with his bumps a lot before I noticed - playing with him, my older DD taking care of him, etc. They'd been sharing beach towels, too. My sister took zero precautions to avoid spreading it around.

I'm so upset with my sister and I suppose I came on here to vent. I'm just hoping that my kids didn't catch it because it sounds really contagious, and not something that you can knock out with some diligence, like lice.

If your child had this, would you alert your sister and take precautions to avoid spreading it? Or am I being unreasonable?

amother

Pink

Mon, Jul 23 2018, 11:42 am

It typically occurs in small children. I don't know the ages of your kids but if they're older, their immune systems are probably strong enough to fight it. I've really only seen it in infants and toddlers/young kids.

amother

Seashell

Mon, Jul 23 2018, 12:00 pm

My nephew had it, and his parents covered it up with tape. His mother informed me of it (not that I could do anything about it, but at least they covered it with tape).

deams

Mon, Jul 23 2018, 12:14 pm

My kids have it. I inform every family member that come to visit or we visit them that they have it. It is simple for older children and adults to avoid. Like not sharing towels or washing your hands with soap. Informing them that if the blisters are close then it's fine. If it's open to be careful.

deams

Mon, Jul 23 2018, 12:17 pm

Just wanted to add that the real concern is for pregnant women and if they get it in a area where the baby needs to come out. That's why I make sure to tell everyone. For those that can't afford to catch a virus they have a chance of avoiding.

amother

Seagreen

Mon, Jul 23 2018, 12:56 pm

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'm hoping that at least my older kids don't catch it. The blisters were open - he was scratching them and I noticed a couple of them bleed - that's how I first noticed them.

I'm just upset because it feel like it was very inconsiderate of her to take zero steps - didn't cover blisters, had him running all over the place, on furniture, wrestling with my young boys, sharing towels, etc. and she didn't even say anything.

amother

Teal

Mon, Jul 23 2018, 1:17 pm

I’m so sorry op I know exactly how you feel. A similar thing happened to us a few years ago and we are still dealing with it today. It was frustrating at first and I was very upset especially because they had told us it wasn’t contagious, only to change their words shortly after. I can’t offer advice because what’s done is done. Just know they out grow it and I’ve noticed it on so so many kids. It seems to be a normal hildhood virus although I really don’t remember ever hearing of such a thing in my day.

mommyhood

Mon, Jul 23 2018, 2:00 pm

It's rare in kids over 10 so chances are your pre-teen daughter will be fine.
Moluscum is so common today. 2 of my kids had it and there was really no way to keep them from spreading it to others. Toddlers won't keep tape on all day and you can't keep them home from school, camp and play-dates for 2 years for something that has very minimal risks.

BetsyTacy

Mon, Jul 23 2018, 2:06 pm

I would be really annoyed not to have been informed. Then at least, really easy precautions like your nephew wearing a shirt and not sharing towels could have been taken.

momof2+?

Mon, Jul 23 2018, 2:08 pm

The only "dan likaf zechus" thing I can say about the parents, is that when my first child caught it, the doctor made light of the situation and basically told me that I should ignore it and it will go away on its own.

Only after it kept spreading and my next kids caught it, did I realize all the precautions I needed to take.

rydys

Mon, Jul 23 2018, 5:53 pm

Please keep in mind that molluscum is generally an annoyance rather than a terrible disease. It comes and goes for 2-3 years and resolves on its own. The biggist issue is infection when the kids play with them, which usually clears up with some bacitracin. It can occur in anyone no matter what age but is more common in younger kids. The best treatment is no treatment to reduce risk of scarring.

In my community it is so common that most mothers don't think twice about it. Nearly every kid contracts it at some time. Your sister probably did not "hide" it from you, she is just taking it in stride as most mothers do and does not think of it as an issue. When one of my kids had it I threw them all in the bath together so we could get it out of the way!