By VERDEL BISHOP Wednesday, October 10 2007

THERE IS a little fungus that most of us don’t think much about – ringworm of the scalp (tinea capitis).

However, there is cause for concern since in recent times ringworm has been increasing steadily, especially among pre-school and school-age children.

After finding a circular patch on her son’s scalp, Paula James, mother of a five year old boy, tried many home remedies to get rid of the scaly patches.

“My son’s teacher always complained about the rash on his scalp. Eventually his hair started to fall off and there was a bald spot on the area where the rash had formed,” James said.

“People prescribed a lot of for me to use. I used herbal treatments, whitfield ointment, apple cider vinegar and even antifungal shampoos and creams. Nothing worked.” Sometimes it would go away for a while, but whenever he got a hair cut it would recur.

“Eventually I suspected it was a fungus from his barber because my younger son who doesn’t get his hair cut does not have the fungus,” said James.

“ I took my son to the skin specialist where it was confirmed that he had ring worm of the scalp.”

According to skin specialist, Dr Marilyn Suite, one of the significant problems associated with conditions of the scalp is that it’s not often reported and mostly treated through self medication. Inadequate treatment can result in an infection that will not clear up.

“Most parents tend to treat the fungus with creams and shampoos but the main mode of treatment is anti fungal tablets, which are the only successful form of treatment. The medicine can be taken in tablet or liquid form,” she said.

Dr Suite said antifungal shampoos can be used along with the tablet, but the shampoos should not be considered the sole treatment. She added that early diagnosis and treatment are needed to slow the spread of infection and to prevent re-infection.

Ringworm is not always easy to diagnose.

“The fungus has various appearances and can be mistaken for dandruff or alopecia areata (a form of hair loss, usually on the scalp). Symptoms range from moderate to severe.

“In severe cases, the scalp gets inflamed and there are abscess’s which may cause symptoms of headache when they are severe. This is a highly contagious fungus. I have seen many children in my office with ring worm,” Dr Suite said.

“A lot of doctors prescribe antifungal creams that are applied directly to the affected area, but this is like plaster covering a sore. It will not be effective,” said Dr Suite.

She said although it is possible that barber’s instruments are heavily infected because of poor sanitation practices, outbreaks occur in many other places.

A pamphlet distributed by the Ministry of Health describes ringworm as a contagious fungus infection that can affect the scalp, the body, the feet (athlete’s foot appears as a scaling or cracking of the skin, especially between the toes), or the nails.

Ringworm of the scalp usually begins as a small pimple that becomes larger, leaving scaly patches of temporary baldness. Infected hairs become brittle and break off easily.

Yellowish crusty areas sometimes develop. Ringworm of the body shows up as a flat, round patch anywhere on the skin except for the scalp and feet. The groin is a common area of infection. As the rash gradually expands, its centre clears to produce a ring. More than one patch might appear, and the patches can overlap. The area is sometimes itchy.

The average ringworm patient is between four-and six-years-old. In addition to schools, outbreaks have been noted in day-care centres and among infants as young as nine-days old. The infection also spreads through from contact with objects such as combs and brushes, sheets and stuffed animals, just to name a few. When the fungus affects the scalp, the condition is called tinea capitis, and when it affects the body it’s tinea corporis.

Dr Suite said right after the August vacation there is a slight increase in the fungus, because of the long break away from school.

“This means that the fungus has had time to incubate. The children would have had their hair trimmed prior to the first school day so now you are able to see the lesions,” she said.

On the issue of sanitation at barbershops, one barber agreed that they are responsible for keeping scissors, combs, and other instruments thoroughly sterilized and in good condition.

Selwyn Mathura, wh has been barbering professionally for more than 40 year, said he makes it his duty to instill in young barbers professionalism, especially when it comes to sanitation of instruments, such as scissors, combs, clippers, neck dusters and smocks.

“We sanitize our instruments after each customer,” he said.