Imagine that you wake up one morning to find yourself covered from head to toe in insect bites that itch like mad. Every time you scratch them, they get itchier, so you scratch them again, making it worse. You can't hold a conversation or sleep, concentrate on the TV or anything because you are scratching all the time.
After a while, your skin becomes red and inflamed. In places, the skin is broken and soon becomes infected and weepy. There is blood on your clothes and under your finger nails and still nothing stops the itching.
People stare at you in the street. They don't like to come too close in case they catch whatever it is you've got.
There's only one scenario worse. Imagine if all this were happening to your child.
This is exactly what life is like for children who suffer from severe eczema.
Around 15 per cent of all school children have eczema so, in a typical class, up to five pupils will be affected.
Teacher: Michael Many articles taken from 'A word with the doctor', by Dr. John Windsor.
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