TLDR A child day-care center reported cases of contagious fungal scalp infection, indicating a need for greater awareness and control measures.
The document discussed an outbreak of tinea capitis, a fungal infection causing hair loss, in a child day-care center in Birmingham, Alabama. The center had 78 children aged 1 to 4 years, and five children were affected. The report highlighted a shift in the causative agent from Microsporum species, which is typically transmitted from animals to humans and often resolves spontaneously, to Trichophyton tonsurans, which is transmitted person to person and can lead to chronic infections without proper treatment. This shift, along with the increasing number of children in day-care centers, suggested a need for greater attention to the association between tinea capitis and day-care attendance.
38 citations,
July 2010 in “Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology” To treat tinea capitis in children, oral antifungal medication is necessary, with newer drugs offering shorter treatment times than the traditional griseofulvin.
October 2022 in “Gadua Journal of Pure and Allied Science” Terbinafine is the most effective treatment for tinea capitis, a scalp infection often confused with other conditions.
2 citations,
April 2015 in “Dermatology practical & conceptual” Daily use of antifungal shampoo can hide symptoms and make it hard to diagnose fungal scalp infections.
January 2019 in “Open access journal of mycology & mycological sciences” The article concludes that proper antifungal treatment is essential for treating scalp fungal infections in children, and trichoscopy is useful for diagnosis and monitoring.
1 citations,
March 2022 in “Berkala Ilmu Kesehatan Kulit dan Kelamin/Berkala ilmu kesehatan kulit dan kelamin (Periodical of dermatology and venerology)” Trichoscopy helps diagnose and monitor the treatment of fungal scalp infections in children.
1 citations,
January 2024 in “Journal of clinical medicine” Early recognition and treatment of tinea capitis are crucial to prevent severe scalp issues and prolonged therapy.
