Premature Birth Complications: Short and Long-Term Health Effects
What To Know About Skin Abscesses
A skin abscess or boil is a bump on or below the skin's surface. It may look like a pimple but larger and deeper under the skin. Abscesses usually contain pus or clear fluid and can appear anywhere on the body.
Skin abscesses can occur anywhere on the body. They contain pus or clear fluid and typically do not pose a threat to a person's health. Larger abscesses may require medical intervention, but they are not necessarily dangerous.
However, in some cases, leaving a skin abscess untreated can lead to severe complications.
This article outlines the symptoms, causes, and treatments for skin abscesses. It also covers potential complications and when to seek medical care.
A bump on the skin may be an abscess if it:
People with an infected abscess may also have a fever and swollen lymph nodes.
Abscesses that do not contain bacteria are typically painless and do not show signs of infection.
People can develop skin abscesses for various reasons, but the most common cause is bacterial infection.
The bacteria typically enter the skin through a hair follicle, puncture wound, or cut to the skin. Sometimes abscesses form around a foreign object, such as a splinter or piece of glass stuck in the skin.
Bacteria that can cause abscess infections include:
Other less common causes of skin abscesses are:
Some people have a higher risk of developing infected skin abscesses, including:
If a person has an infected or painful abscess, a healthcare professional will drain it of fluid by making an incision. Beforehand, they may administer local anesthetic to numb the skin.
They will then flush the cavity with a saline solution. Healthcare professionals typically leave abscesses open to allow any remaining pus to drain out. If an abscess is very deep, the healthcare professional may pack the wound and insert a wick to help it drain.
Healthcare professionals may prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection.
At-home care after medical drainage involves slowly removing packed gauze from inside the wound. Sometimes, people will need a healthcare professional to pack the wound multiple times during the healing process.
People should use moist, warm compresses to encourage wound drainage and prevent the abscess from forming again.
It is also possible to treat boils at home using:
People should not try to drain an abscess at home. If a person does this, they risk introducing bacteria into the wound, which can lead to complications.
An untreated infected abscess can spread infection to the bloodstream and lymph nodes, which can be life threatening. An untreated infection may also lead to gangrene.
Treatment may be difficult in cases where MRSA causes the infection.
If an abscess is due to an infection, a person can take the following steps to help prevent more abscesses from forming in the future:
Often, a skin abscess is nothing serious. However, sometimes medical attention is necessary.
People should seek immediate medical attention if they:
While most skin abscesses are nothing to worry about, some may require a healthcare professional's attention. People can treat a small abscess at home by applying heat to shrink and drain it.
If an abscess is large or infected, a healthcare professional will cut it open to drain the fluid buildup.
If someone suspects they have an infected abscess, they should seek medical attention. Untreated infected abscesses are potentially life threatening, especially if the infection is the result of MRSA.
Boil Water Advisories: VERIFY Fact Sheet
We VERIFY whether you can brush your teeth, wash dishes or shower during a boil water advisory, and if it's safe to drink filtered water that isn't boiled.
Credit: New Africa - stock.Adobe.Com
Boil water advisories warn residents that they should not drink or consume tap water without boiling it first because of a risk for potential illness.
A boil water advisory is typically issued when the water supply could be contaminated following an equipment failure, leaking or broken pipes, or insufficient disinfectant in the water supply.
Contaminated water could have bacteria such as shigella, viruses such as norovirus or parasites such as Cryptosporidium, according to the CDC. Illnesses from these microbes, including diarrheal illnesses, can also be caused by eating raw or undercooked food and poor hand-washing.
We're VERIFYING several questions you might ask the next time there's a boil water advisory in your area.
THE SOURCES
QUESTION #1
Is it safe to use tap water that isn't boiled to brush your teeth during a boil water advisory?
THE ANSWER
No, it is not safe to use tap water that isn't boiled to brush your teeth during a boil water advisory. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says you should only brush with boiled or bottled water.
"Any water you ingest or place in your mouth should be disinfected by boiling (and then cooled) or come from an alternate source," the New York State Department of Health says. It adds that bottled water is excellent for brushing your teeth.
QUESTION #2
Can you shower or bathe during a boil water advisory?
THE ANSWER
Healthy people may still use their water for showering, bathing and shaving as long as they don't swallow the water, avoid open cuts and there isn't a "Do Not Use" notification, the New York State Department of Health says.
People with open wounds, cuts, blisters or recent surgical wounds and people who are immunocompromised or suffer from chronic illness should use water that has been boiled and then cooled to shower or bathe, the New York State Department of Health says.
A "Do Not Use" notice is issued when exposure to the water may adversely impact public health, the California State Water Resources Control Board says. This is different from a normal boil water notice, which is a warning against ingesting the water without first boiling it.
Children and disabled individuals should be supervised to ensure water is not ingested while bathing, the New York State Department of Health says. Bathing time should be minimized to further reduce the potential for ingestion.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality recommends giving young children a sponge bath to reduce the chance of them swallowing water.
QUESTION #3
Is it safe to drink water that has gone through a filter attached to your fridge, faucet or pitcher without boiling it during a boil water advisory?
THE ANSWER
No, it isn't safe to drink water that has gone through a filter attached to your fridge, faucet or pitcher without boiling it during a boil water advisory.
Water filters like those in refrigerators and pitchers, including the filtered water supply used to form the ice in your freezer, do not remove harmful bacteria or viruses, Houston Methodist Hospital says.
"All filters do not take out all microbes," Natalie Exum, Ph.D., an assistant scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Water Institute, said. "Some can pass through those filters."
Some of the more concerning contaminants that can get into unsanitized drinking water can't be removed by fridge filters, Exum said.
Houston Methodist suggests using bottled water to make new ice cubes and either drinking bottled water or boiling the water that comes through those household filters before consuming it.
QUESTION #4
Can you get sick if you don't boil your water for long enough?
THE ANSWER
Health officials say there is a chance you can get sick from drinking water you haven't properly boiled during a boil water advisory, but it's not likely. Even though it isn't likely, officials recommend you further reduce that risk by boiling your water for at least one minute, while others recommend boiling water for at least two minutes.
"The likelihood of becoming ill is low," the New York State Department of Health says. "However, illness is certainly possible, especially for people that have a chronic illness or may be immunocompromised. This is why boil water notices are issued."
The CDC says that if you do get sick, the symptoms are similar to food poisoning: nausea, diarrhea, cramps and a mild fever.
To avoid this, the CDC and the New York State Department of Health say you should bring your water to a "full rolling boil" for at least one minute. If you live at an elevation above 6,500 feet, you should bring it to a rolling boil for at least three minutes.
WaterOne, a public water utility in Kansas, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality recommend bringing your water to a full rolling boil for at least two minutes.
QUESTION #5
Is it safe to wash dishes during a boil water advisory?
THE ANSWER
You should use boiled water to hand-wash dishes. Whether you can safely use the dishwasher during a boil water advisory depends on the temperature your dishwasher is capable of reaching.
If the hot wash of your dishwasher reaches at least 170 degrees Fahrenheit and includes a full dry cycle, you can use it to wash your dishes, the New York State Department of Health says. However, the department warns that most home dishwashers do not reach this temperature.
The CDC says you can also use your household dishwasher if it has a sanitizing cycle.
If you can't boil your water before using it to hand-wash dishes, the CDC recommends soaking dishes in a solution of one teaspoon of unscented household liquid bleach for each gallon of warm water for at least one minute.
QUESTION #6
Should I always boil my water if I get any kind of contamination advisory?
THE ANSWER
Only boil water if you get a boil water advisory. There are other contamination advisories that recommend you do not boil water.
A "Do Not Boil" advisory means the water supply has a contaminant and exposure to the water or vapors produced by boiling the water may adversely impact public health, the California State Water Resources Control Board says.
Additionally, a "Do Not Drink" notice means the water supply has an acute contaminant that cannot be rendered safe by boiling the water or by disinfection, according to the California State Water Resources Control Board.
This story is also available in Spanish / Lee este artículo también en español: Avisos para hervir el agua: Hoja de Datos VERIFY
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Fluid In Eye Cells Can 'boil' If You Watch The Eclipse Without Protection: Expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Why is watching the eclipse more dangerous than looking at the sun on a normal day?When people look up at the sun normally, the intense brightness triggers pain that causes them to look away quickly before it can cause damage, said Dr. Philip Hooper, president of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society.
But as the moon starts to block the sun in the period leading up to the total eclipse "there is significant light energy that's coming from the sun, but we don't appreciate pain. And so you can look at it long enough to do damage to the eye," said Hooper, who is also an associate professor of ophthalmology at Western University in London, Ont.
How does staring at the sun damage our eyes?When you're looking directly at the sun, intense visible light and infrared radiation are focused on the centre of the retina in the back of the eye.
"It's basically like taking a magnifying glass in the sun on a normal day and focusing that light on a piece of paper. It can get hot enough to burn the paper," Hooper said.
The sun has the same effect, because your eye concentrates that energy into a small area of the retina.
"The temperature of the cells in that area can actually get high enough that the fluid in the cells actually boils and it damages the cells permanently," he said.
This microscope image provided by Mount Sinai's New York Eye and Ear Infirmary shows damage to the retina of a person who viewed the 2017 eclipse without adequate protection. She complained of a black spot in her vision, and doctors discovered retinal damage that corresponded to the eclipse's shape. (Mount Sinai via AP)
No. Sunglasses do not provide protection, Hooper said.
What if I stay inside and watch through the window?Again, no. Windows offer no protection.
Is it safe to watch through a phone camera?No.
"Eclipse or not, you shouldn't look at the sun directly with the naked eye, or with a camera or telescope, without a (certified) solar filter. This can lead to irreversible eye damage," says an eclipse safety video posted online by the Canadian Space Agency.
Pointing your phone camera directly at the eclipse may also have other consequences.
"Just remember that your camera on your phone has lenses just like eyeglasses do, and that light is coming in from the sun as soon as you open the shutter," said Elaina Hyde, director of the Allan I. Carswell Observatory at York University in Toronto.
"At the very least you could expect to damage your camera. You won't be able to see anything, again, because your phone is not able to handle that light."
How do I safely watch the eclipse?You'll need special glasses with filters designed for eclipse watching, says the Canadian Space Agency website.
Those glasses must have side protection so that light rays can't enter, said Hooper.
They must also have certified lenses, he said.
The certification ISO 12312-2 should be printed on the glasses, which means the glasses meet international safety standards.
While wearing the glasses, you should not be able to see anything unless you're staring at the sun.
"No matter how bright a light you are exposed to in your indoor environment, if you shone a very bright light through them, you'd see nothing. They're totally black. That's how dark they are," Hooper said.
The eclipse glasses should not be used if they are "scratched, punctured, torn, or otherwise damaged," the American Astronomical Society says on its website, noting that people should inspect their glasses before using them.
The society also says that children using the glasses during the eclipse must be supervised at all times.
Where can I get the ISO 12312-2 certified glasses?Free eclipse-viewing glasses are available at many libraries, cities and school districts across Canada, according to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada website.
The American Astronomical Society has a list of companies and retailers in both Canada and the U.S. That sell certified solar eclipse glasses on its website.
Some companies selling them in Quebec are listed on the Eclipse Quebec website.
What about welding goggles?Welding goggles come in a variety of shades, denoted by number, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety website.
The minimum darkness required to safely watch the eclipse is shade 13, said Hooper.
"That's much darker than the welding glasses or goggles that are typically used by welders. And they're not widely available," he said.
If I don't have the certified glasses, is there another option?Another option for safe viewing is to make a projector so that you are never looking directly at the sun. It can be as basic as a piece of paper with a pinhole that projects the light from the sun onto the sidewalk, or a projector made out of a box.
The Canadian Space Agency website has simple instructions on how to make a projector using an empty cardboard box, a sheet of white paper, aluminum foil, a pin, tape and scissors.
For instructions, visit https://www.Asc-csa.Gc.Ca/eng/youth-educators/activities/fun-experiments/eclipse-projector.Asp
-With files from Sonja Puzic
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
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