Eczema herpeticum (EX-eh-muh her-PET-ih-kim) is a skin infection caused by a virus (a type of germ). Symptoms include painful red blisters (filled with fluid or pus) or sores, fever, swollen glands, and tiredness. It's important to treat eczema herpeticum right away because the virus can spread quickly to other parts of the body and cause serious problems.

Your child was treated with antiviral medicines to help their body fight the herpes simplex virus. They may have been given other treatments too. You can now care for your child at home. The blisters usually go away within a few weeks, but sometimes they come back.

Follow your health care provider's instructions for:

• Giving your child any medicines and using any ointments, creams, or lotions.
• Whether it's OK to give acetaminophen (Tylenol^® or a store brand) or ibuprofen (Advil^®, Motrin^®, or a store brand) for pain. (Follow the package directions for how much to give and how often.)
• Daily skin care, such as cleansing and moisturizing.
• When to follow up.

Other tips:

• Scratching can spread the infection. If your child's skin is itchy, try putting a thin cloth wet with cool water on the area. If the itching continues, call your health care provider.
• To help prevent spreading the infection, your child should avoid close contact with others until the scabs are fully healed. Wash their hands well and often.
• When caring for your child's sores, wear gloves and wash your hands when you are done.

• Your child has new or worsening symptoms.
• The symptoms go away, then come back.
• Your child's pain isn't controlled with the prescribed pain medicines.
• Your child isn't eating or drinking and has signs of dehydration (not enough water in the body) such as a dry or sticky mouth, sunken eyes, peeing less often, darker than usual pee, or crying with little or no tears. 

Your child:

• Develops any blisters or sores around the eyes
• Has eye redness or irritation, difficulty seeing, or vision changes
• Gets fever or chills
• Has trouble breathing
• Has vomiting, easy bruising or bleeding, a headache, confusion, or other new symptoms that concern you

What virus causes eczema herpeticum? A herpes simplex virus causes eczema herpeticum. It's the same virus that usually causes mouth cold sores (fever blisters).

Who gets eczema herpeticum? It happens most often in kids with eczema (also called atopic dermatitis), an ongoing skin condition that causes itchy rashes and weakened skin. It also can happen in kids with some other skin disorders.

What problems can happen from eczema herpeticum? If it comes back and isn't treated right away, eczema herpeticum can spread quickly to the eyes, mouth, brain, or liver. This can make a child very sick, so if your child gets symptoms of eczema herpeticum again, call your health care provider right away.