1 Is the skin in the itchy area inflamed, or does your child have a rash or spots?

2 Is the itching confined to the scalp, the genital area, or the feet?

3 Is the itching confined to the anal area, and does it occur mainly at night?

4 Does your child's skin seem dry?

5 Have you recently changed your washing product or laundry powder?

6 Is your child intensely itchy with or without grey lines between the fingers or on the wrists?

7

go to Skin problems in children

8

go to Hair, scalp and nail problems

or go to Genital problems in boys

or go to Genital problems in girls

or go to Foot problems

9

Possible cause Your child may have threadworms. These tiny, white worms, about 1 cm ( 1/2 in) long, infest the intestines and lay eggs around the anus at night, leading to intense irritation of the anus and genital area. Although harmless, they may be passed on from one person to another or picked up from contaminated food. Consult your doctor.

Action Your doctor will examine your child. If threadworms are diagnosed, he or she will recommend drugs that will kill the worms. All members of your family should be treated to prevent reinfection. Make sure your child takes extra care to wash his or her hands thoroughly after going to the toilet and before eating.

10

Possible cause and action Dry skin is often itchy. A tendency to have dry skin may run in families and is also common in children who swim regularly or use strong soaps. If your child has dry skin, provide an emollient bath oil instead of soap and follow other self-help measures for relieving itchiness. If your child swims regularly, he or she should shower afterwards and apply a moisturizer.

11

Possible cause Skin irritation as a result of sensitivity to particular chemicals can cause widespread itching.

Action Avoid using perfumed products and biological washing powders. Make sure that your washing is always rinsed thoroughly. Use an emollient, such as aqueous cream, on your child's skin, and follow the other self-help measures for relieving itchiness. If the symptoms persist, consult your doctor.

12 See your doctor within 24 hours

Possible cause Scabies, a parasitic infection, may be causing your child's symptoms. Scabies mites burrow under the skin between the fingers and can cause a widespread rash, which may affect the palms of the hands and soles of the feet in babies. Scabies is very contagious and often affects a whole family.

Action Your doctor will probably prescribe a treatment lotion, which you will need to apply to the whole of your child's body from the neck down. Everyone else in the household will need to be treated at the same time, and clothing and bedding also need to be washed. The mites should die within 3 days of treatment, but the itching may continue for up to 2 weeks.

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Consult your doctor if you are unable to make a diagnosis from this chart.