News

Actions

Teacher holds makeup field day for 6-year-old who developed skin infection at Huntington Beach

Posted at 2:11 PM, Jul 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-05 14:15:03-04

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Classmates held a makeup field day for a young girl whodeveloped a bacterial skin infection after swimming at Huntington Beach.

Bella Sullivan missed her school’s field day when she was recovering from impetigo.

Bella’s Kindergarten teacher and classmates had fun playing games at Riverview Farm Park on Sunday.

In early June, Bella had a scratch on her face when she went swimming at the beach and progressively started to develop some redness and swelling. A few days later, it turned into a painful, itchy infection.

When Bella’s mom took her to the doctor, she diagnosed with impetigo due to the bacteria from the water getting inside of her cut.

According to the Mayo Clinic, impetigo is common in infants and children and usually appears as red sores on the face especially around the child’s mouth.

RELATED: 6-year-old develops bacterial skin infection after swimming at Huntington Beach

Environmental Health Manager for the Peninsula District, Gary Hagy recommends to not submerge an open cut in the water or go into the water after a heavy rainfall for at least 24 to 48 hours.

“If you plan to take your child to the beach, see if they have any openings in their skin, hold off on going to the beach perhaps if you do see anything like that or cover them up really well,” says Nicole Sullivan, Bella’s mom. “I wouldn’t want anything like that to happen to other kids, it’s very painful.”