Molluscum contagiosum (MC) is highly infectious. However, most people are resistant to the molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV).
This means that even if you come into contact with MCV, you are unlikely to develop MC. For this reason, it is not necessary to stay at home from work, school or nursery or stop activities such as swimming.
However, while the risk of passing MC on to others is small, it is sensible to avoid spreading MCV as much as possible. Therefore, if you or your child has MC you should:
- keep affected areas of skin covered with clothing where possible
- avoid sharing towels, flannels and clothing with others
- avoid sharing baths
- avoid scratching the lesions if they are itchy because this can cause MCV to infect other areas of your skin and prolong the infection
If you or your child have particularly troublesome symptoms of itchiness, contact your GP. They should be able to give you a mild steroid cream that can improve symptoms.
Lesions on the genitals
If you have lesions on your genitals, you should also be screened for other possible sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at a genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinic.
Always use a condom for sexual intercourse.
However, it is important to remember that condoms cannot prevent the spread of MCV completely. The virus can be passed to areas of your skin that are not covered by a condom, such as the area around your genitals and your inner thighs.
