A medical practitioner, Dr Ezekiel Omonigho, has advised patients suffering from herpetic whitlow to get treatment from government approved hospitals.
Omonigho gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Benin.
Omonigho said this would heal the infection faster rather than prescribing medication for themselves to avoid complications.
He defined herpetic whitlow “as a lesion (whitlow) on a finger or thumb caused by the herpes simplex virus.
“It is a painful infection that typically affects the fingers or thumbs. Occasionally, this infection occurs on the toes or on the nail cuticles.
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“Herpes whitlow can be caused by infection by HSV-1 or HSV-2.”
According to Omonigho, HSV is the virus that commonly causes cold sores and genital herpes, as well as herpetic whitlow.
He said that medical and dental professionals were prone to having a higher risk of coming in contact with HSV-1.
He said that the infection also might appear in adults or children; but that there were several medicines to treat it.
“The first symptoms usually appear 20 days after the person is exposed to the herpes simplex virus.
“The infected area will burn or tingle, and the person may begin to experience pain before any noticeable lesion shows up.
“The finger will then begin to swell and redden as the infection develops. Blisters will appear and begin to fill with liquid or pus,” he said.
The medical practitioner said that other symptoms include swollen lymph nodes in the armpits or elbow area, fever, red marks surrounding the whitlow area. (NAN)
