Causes and Prevention of Ringworm:
Ringworm is a fungus infection caused by Dermatophytes. It affects the scalp, body, nails as well as feet, depending on the type of Dermatophyte. The infection is contagious and thus, it can spread from one person to other.
Causes:
People can contract ringworm in various ways. The person is at risk if he/she has had direct contact with the skin of an infected person or pet. This is the easiest way in which ringworm spreads.
Indirect contact can also spread ringworm among people or animals. If the individual touches any surface or object touched by an infected pet or person, the individual is at risk of contracting the infection.
The rarest way in which ringworm spreads is through contact with the soil containing the fungus. This is an exceptional case, as the number of ringworm incidences contracted this way is extremely low.
Prevention:
Preventing ringworm is not an easy task. Ringworm is very contagious and it can spread even before the symptoms surface. The ringworm fungus is extremely common and thus, one can never prevent it completely.
To prevent the onset of a ringworm infection in your vicinity, you need to take certain steps. The government and the educational institutions should provide education to the public regarding the risk of infection from persons and pets infected by ringworm. The common areas, such as changing rooms and equipment areas should be clean regularly. This is especially important in places of mass congregation such as schools, gymnasiums, locker rooms and day care centers. One should disinfect all shared equipment after every use. In addition, parents should warn children about the risk of sharing personal items such as towels and hairbrushes.
If the infection has already occurred, you need to undergo proper treatment. There should be minimum contact with the patient in the period of quarantine. Though treating ringworm is possible, it is best to prevent the occurrence of the infection in the first place. This is only possible through general awareness and good personal hygiene.