Fungal Infections and Children

Whether you know it or not, fungus is a type of organism that lives on every person all over the world. Most of the time, this organism is harmless, however, when conditions are just right it can cause a fungal infection. Even children can have fungal infections.

Some fungal infections are highly contagious which means they can spread from one person to another by a simple touch of a person infected. Fungus needs a warm, dark, and humid place to grow so such areas as pools, locker rooms, public showers and even their socks and shoes are a great place for fungal infections to start.

The most common types of fungal infections that are seen in children include athlete's foot and jock itch.

Athlete's foot also known as Tinea pedis is a fungal infection that as the name implies appears on the feet. Normally it affects the area between the toes, but can be on the bottom and sides of the feet as well. The reason this fungal infection is known as Athlete's feet is that it thrives in areas where athletes congregate such as public pools, showers, and locker rooms where the environment is moist and warm. Your children pick up the fungus and then put on their socks and shoes and the fungus begins to grow on their feet. Signs of Athlete's foot include dry, cracked, and itchy skin between the toes. Other people have red, scaly blisters on the bottom and sides of their feet. When the blisters burst, it can cause pain and swelling. Athlete's foot does not necessarily stay on the feet; some people have had it spread to other areas of their body including the groin and underarms. This can be caused from scratching the feet and touching other areas of the body. Children are not the only ones that can contract Athlete's foot as it is contagious, the fungus can be brought into the home and be living in your shower.

Jock itch is another fungal infection that is seen in young boys and girls. This infection also thrives in dark and damp environments and usually appears on the groin or upper thighs. Athletes, those who perspire heavily or people that are obese usually have problems with jock itch. This fungal infection is not seen as often in girls as it is in boys, but it can occur. The most usual way in which to transmit jock itch is by touching feet with a fungal infection and then touching the groin area. The signs of jock itch include chafed, irritated skin rash with elevated edges located in the groin, inner thighs, pubic or anal areas. It itches just like athletes foot, but many people complain that it also burns.