Lay summary
Impetigo, a contagious skin infection, is common in New Zealand children. Widespread use of antibiotic cream for this infection has led to increasing antibiotic resistance. The aim of this study is to find an alternative treatment for impetigo that does not use antibiotics, so that these antibiotics will remain effective when needed for severe illnesses.
The trial compares three treatments: the current antibiotic cream, antiseptic cream, and simply cleaning and covering the sores. Children are recruited from school health clinics and digital photographs of the sore before and after treatment used to determine the effectiveness of the management options. If the alternative treatments are as effective as the antibiotic cream, then this will provide evidence to change both national and international guidance on how to safely and effectively treat an infection that is one of the top 50 most common diseases and disproportionately affects Māori and Pacific Island children.