Skin infections increasing: Nurse

By LULU MARK
THERE is no medication to treat the increasing number of patients turning up with skin infections at a major Port Moresby clinic, a nurse says.
Badili Clinic manager Sr Tina Peter said daily, around 25 per cent of the patients who visited the clinic sought treatment for skin infections. She said there had been an outbreak of a certain skin infection which looked like scabies, but did not respond to standard treatments.
“There is an outbreak of this skin infection that looks like scabies but does not heal when applying the scabies lotion,” she said.
“Even when we apply the scabies lotion, the same people kept on coming (back).
“It’s not even helping them so we don’t really know the treatment.”
Compounding the situation was that the clinic had run out of scabies lotion stock since March.
“We have been prescribing but the one (lotion) at the pharmacies is very expensive so only those that can afford can get it,” Sr Peter said.
“For others, we are advising them to use home remedies such as squeezing lemon (juice) and applying it and just maintaining good personal hygiene.”
Sr Peter said in some children, the infection was all over their bodies and parents were desperate to find a treatment for the condition, even asking for injections, but that did not work.
She said the skin condition in adults looked like a rash and not scabies but was very itchy. In this case, for the adults, they were put on Phenergan which was used for treating allergic conditions.
Sr Peter encouraged people to keep their homes clean and ensure there was good personal hygiene which could help prevent the contraction and spread of the infection.