Serious skin infection rates among children have reached crisis point and a national effort is needed to curb the problem, health researchers say.
An Otago University study, published in the international journal Epidemiology and Infection, has found the rate of children admitted to hospital with severe skin infections nearly doubled between 1990 and 2007, from about 3 to nearly 5.5 per 1000 children.
The rising rates could largely be attributed to increased health inequalities, with more children – especially from Maori and Pacific Island communities – now living in poverty. Overcrowding, poor access to medical care, diet and stress all made minor cuts and grazes more prone to infection.
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Also the article referred to is: 'Increasing hospitalizations for serious skin infections in New Zealand children, 1990–2007', and can be found here