Highly contagious impetigo infection on the rise among children

The highly contagious skin infection impetigo is on the rise on among Dutch children, with 2026 seeing more cases than in previous years.

For every 100,000 children, there have been a reported 350 to 400 children with the infection in the past three weeks compared to below 300 cases in previous years, according to research institute Nivel and based on data from GPs.

The infection, known as krentenbaard (currant beard) in Dutch, is mostly seen around the nose and mouth of young children, who develop red spots, bumps and blisters with a puss-like fluid that forms a crust when scratched.

The national public health institute RIVM advises parents to prevent their children from scratching the itchy and burning blisters and to have them routinely wash their hands with soap and water.

Impetigo, which is more common in the warm summer months, is caused by bacteria but can be treated with an antibiotic ointment. But because many people don’t seek medical help for its mild symptoms that often heal on their own, it’s difficult to assess how often it occurs.

According to Nivel, this year’s peaks coincide with the higher temperatures reported by the national weather institute KNMI.