What is impetigo

My child has been having itchy and painful peeling of the skin. The doctor who attended to him called it impetigo. Kindly explain what this means.

 Wendy (by SMS)

Impetigo (pronounced “im-peh-TIE-go”) is an itchy, sometimes painful, skin infection. When your child gets a cut, bite or scratch that opens their skin, bacteria can enter and cause a bacteria infection. But impetigo can infect skin even if it’s not broken or punctured. Impetigo happens more often in warmer months when children are outside.

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Typically, the first signs of impetigo are sores and blisters on your child’s mouth and nose. It can also appear on your child’s scalp, hairline, legs and arms. Treatment is usually by appropriate antibiotics which are determined by the result of a swab test of the skin secretions.