Oxford HS football players diagnosed with Impetigo skin infection

OXFORD, Mich. – Oxford Community Schools has confirmed 15 Oxford High School junior varsity football players have been diagnosed with Impetigo, a highly contagious bacterial skin infection.

The school district has sanitized the high school and everyone infected has been instructed to take their personal items home and clean them before bringing them back to school.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Impetigo usually appears as red sores on the face, especially around the nose and mouth. The sores eventually burst and develop honey-colored crusts.

The infection can clear on its own in a couple of weeks but doctors can prescribe antibiotics to shorten the course of the disease and to prevent its spreading.

According to a fact sheet on Impetigo from the Oakland County Department of Health and Human Services, anyone coming in contact with the draining sores is at risk.

To learn more about how Impetigo is spread, how it can be prevented and how it is treated view the fact sheet.