The Mantoux reaction (Tuberculin diagnostics) is a special intradermal test that can be used to determine the characteristics of the body's response to the introduction of tuberculin. This drug contains dead elements of tuberculosis bacteria. Intradermal testing is regularly performed on children of kindergarten and school age. It allows you to determine whether boys and girls have a tendency to tuberculosis. Quite often, parents have a question: is it possible to wet Mantu? How many days can you not wet Mantu? With the help of this article you will find out the answers to all your problems.
Features of the Mantoux test
The procedure for administering tuberculin is quite simple. The nurse or doctor injects a small amount of special microbacterial extracts into the forearm area. After this, the child experiences a characteristic allergic reaction of the body at the injection site. Exactly three days later, the Mantoux test will increase slightly and turn red. It is better not to wet it or comb it again. Otherwise, the results may be incorrect.
This test has a huge number of positive differences. It is available to all children up to a certain age. The desired result can be obtained within three days after the administration of tuberculin. If all aspects and rules are followed, such a test is very accurate.
A positive result diagnoses a deviation of the body’s condition from the norm. In this case, the child must undergo the vaccination procedure. If the necessary vaccination has already been done at the age of 7 years, then the Mantoux test will mainly demonstrate the body’s reaction to dead tuberculosis bacteria. Don't worry too much if the diameter of the button is more than 0.5. This does not mean that your child is sick with this dangerous disease; it is necessary to undergo additional examination. In this case, it would be best to consult with your doctor.
Why doctors often give wrong recommendations
Why do experts still answer the question: “How many days can you not soak manta rays?”, and say the same as in the Pirquet test – 3 days? What conclusion can be drawn from this - that medical education is now extremely poor, and doctors do not know basic things?
In fact, it is not qualified health workers who are to blame, but nurses in kindergartens and schools, as well as parents and grandparents, who are used to talking about 3 days without washing after tuberculin administration.
Nurses simply do not have sufficient education, and adults are not up to date with the latest changes. So they continue to spread false information, scaring children of going several days without washing.
How does water affect the sample?
There are a huge number of myths that are associated with the Mantoux reaction. There is a widespread rumor among children that due to the influence of water on the injection area, they can even get tuberculosis. The question of why you can’t wet Mantu arises quite often.
Pirquet's test is the predecessor of Mantoux . It was made by applying characteristic notches to the skin. Children developed small wounds on their forearm, which very often became infected after contact with dirty water. It was from that time that a superstition arose that you should not wet your hand for a long period of time. At the moment, Birke's test is considered obsolete. It was replaced by a more modern analogue - Mantoux. Intradermal injection has a huge number of advantages. This method of tuberculin diagnostics minimized the number of factors that could affect the correctness of the results.
Purpose of Mantoux
The test is not a vaccination, in the usual meaning of the word. This is a method by which the presence of tubercle bacilli is determined.
The test is mandatory for all children. For those children who have already been vaccinated against tuberculosis (BCG), it is first given at twelve months. For children who have not been vaccinated with BCG, the test is carried out every six months starting from six months. Then once every 12 months. It is not recommended to skip this procedure.
After how many days can you wet the manta ray?
The debate about the inadmissibility of swimming after a test has been going on for a long time. Some doctors allow children to be bathed on the same day, but categorically prohibit the use of a washcloth to wash the “problem hand.”
Other pediatricians insist on avoiding bathing or showering for four days. This point of view was supported by a large number of pediatric doctors. One of the arguments put forward is that vaccination is already a lot of stress for the child. The child’s body works hard during this period to neutralize the effects of the “guests” received along with the injection. It is difficult to predict how the reaction will develop after water procedures.
There is an opinion that water can introduce harmful substances or microorganisms into the wound. This will affect the diagnosis and lead to consequences. It is possible that another vaccination will be required and then a visit to the TB dispensary.
A little history
Warnings do not appear out of nowhere. The myth about preventing water from getting on manta rays dates back to the last century. It developed steadily in the sixties. At that time, the sample was administered not inside the skin, but cutaneously. The Koch and Pirquet test was practiced.
The procedure was carried out in the following way:
- a small amount of the drug was applied to the child’s skin;
- small incisions were made at the site where the solution was applied, scratching the skin with a needle;
- After that, the result was studied.
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With this diagnostic method, it is necessary to completely eliminate the interaction of irritating factors with the place where the test was taken. In addition to pathogenic organisms getting into the scratch during bathing, water contributed to the leaching of the drug from the scratch. Therefore, doctors forbade parents to bathe their child for several days.
In this century, few people remember the methods that were previously used to diagnose tuberculosis. However, the memory of the ban on soaking manta rays still lives on. Many doctors do not want to deviate from previously established rules and take on additional responsibility. Stereotypes that have taken root over decades have survived to this day.
What you can and cannot do
Parents do not want to study the question of whether water can affect the reaction from an injection. For these moms and dads, it would be appropriate to avoid bathing the baby for the recommended period.
In addition to avoiding contact with water, parents need to follow a few more rules and protect the child’s hand after vaccination. The following actions are strictly prohibited.
- Applying a patch to the injection site.
- Comb the sample area. If you rub it, the diagnostic picture will be blurred. If complications arise, when the “button” swells and turns intensely red, you should not self-medicate:
- smear with brilliant green;
- bandage your hand;
- use ointments;
- use folk remedies - herbs, powders, infusions;
- apply compresses;
- sprinkle with streptocide, etc.
- You should consult a doctor immediately. Only a specialist can draw the right conclusions and prescribe treatment.
- You cannot take your child to the pool, public baths, or the beach.
Some mothers do not pay attention to prejudices and send their children to the bath almost immediately after vaccination. It is necessary to take into account even children's bath products lead to changes in papules. Therefore, when asking the question: “What will happen if you wet the manta ray?”, you need to understand what other factors to exclude. Should be considered:
- what clothes are best for the child to wear after the test;
- what detergents can be used;
- Is it possible to go for a walk after mantu?
To avoid damaging the sample, it is best to choose items made from natural soft fabrics. Rough wool or denim clothing can chafe your baby's skin. Even in children's gels and shampoos, there are many dyes, fragrances and chemical additives. Baby soap is better for hygiene.
If a child has been tested for tuberculosis, this does not mean that he needs to be locked up at home and deprived of the pleasure of walking in the fresh air. It is better if the child walks under supervision. He should not be allowed to play in the sandbox or ride on a children's slide. At this time, you need to keep your child busy with something useful and interesting. Suitable events:
- going to the zoo;
- bike ride in the park;
- kite flying and others.
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To further protect the injection site, it is best to dress your child in a cotton shirt or long-sleeve T-shirt.
The question of how many days not to wet the manta ray and protect your hand is easily resolved. It is necessary to remember the words of the pediatrician that the onset of the reaction will occur within 48-72 hours. After three or four days, you can completely stop worrying and return to your usual way of life.
How long should you avoid contact with water?
If you are interested in the question of how long you should not soak Mantu, then you can stop worrying. Minor contact with water does not compromise the effectiveness of the sample. You can safely wash your hands and take a shower even on the first day after making Mantu. The amount of liquid must be large enough to affect the reaction that occurs under the skin.
There are several cases in which it is better not to wet Mantu. Try to avoid long-term baths and do not lather your forearms with a washcloth. If you rub the puncture site too hard, you may scratch it. The red spot will increase several times.
You should try not to swim in pools and fresh lakes, as well as seas. In many children, the sample then increases several times.
Is it possible or not to wet manta rays?
To the question: “How long should a child not wet a manta ray?” many doctors will answer: “Three days.”
But no one can answer for sure why you can’t wet the “button.” Some experts will state that water can negatively affect the development of the reaction. But it has already been proven above that water procedures can only harm people with allergies to water, and in ordinary patients they will not change the response to tuberculin.
The widespread misconception that water can negatively affect a sample came from the USSR, when several decades ago a similar Pirquet procedure was used instead of the Mantoux test. The active substance was the same tuberculin, but there was a fundamental difference - the composition was not injected with a syringe under the skin, but was applied to the hand, on which a small scratch was then made with a scraper.
That is, the solution was not firmly attached to the hand, it could easily be washed out of the scratch. In this regard, doctors gave recommendations on how long not to wet the “old Mantoux” for a child - on average, they were forbidden to wet their hand for 24 hours from the moment the vaccination took place. A day was enough for the substance to affect the body.
Sometimes, when giving advice on how many days not to wet the Pirquet reaction, doctors spoke about three days. This is due to the fact that the speed of the immune reaction is different for everyone, and not everyone’s body has time to react to tuberculin within 24 hours.
Then, in the 60-70s, if a mother forgot to wash her child, he could be sent to a tuberculosis clinic due to a reaction disorder. Now the liquid has no effect on anything. Despite how much time has passed since the introduction of tuberculin injections (they were introduced back in the 80s), the myth that arose due to the Pirquet test that you should not get your hand wet still persists. This is fundamentally wrong.
Factors that may affect Mantoux
There are a number of other factors that can damage the target area of skin. Do not place a bandage at the injection site, or intensively comb or rub the target area with alcohol. Do not cover the red spot with a band-aid. Many children experience a specific allergic reaction after applying iodine, moisturizer, shower gel or soap. In this case, Mantu can be wetted with ordinary water.
The size of the spot can also be influenced by internal aspects of the body. Vaccinations affect the immune system. Mantu can be done after a certain period of time after vaccination (approximate period - 1 month). It is also not recommended to do a test during the treatment process for skin diseases and allergies. The child must be completely healthy and not complain of a cold.
Komarovsky's opinion
Pediatrician Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky says that in fact, the tuberculin test, which is also called the Mantoux test, can be wetted. And a common myth and stories from doctors in the clinic are related to the fact that the Pirquet test, which was done to diagnose tuberculosis earlier, could not be wetted (since in this case the skin was scratched and the sample was not injected intradermally).
Be sure to watch the video in which Dr. Komarovsky talks about the mantoux test, its advantages and reactions.
Important! Do not confuse the allergy test, which is carried out for diagnosis, with a vaccination (called BCG). Be sure to read the article on tuberculosis vaccination on our website to learn more about existing vaccinations and how the vaccine is administered.
What to do if a lot of water gets on Mantu
If you do get wet in the Mantoux reaction, there is no need to panic. Dry it gently with a soft towel. Most likely, the redness will not increase in size much. If the spot becomes abnormally large after three days, report the fact that liquid has entered the sample injection site.
After the injection, parents should constantly monitor the child's actions while showering and washing hands. Explain to your children the basic rules to follow after the test. You don’t have to worry too much about how long you can’t soak Manta for your child. Liquid contact will not affect the size of the stain in any way, but to ensure the accuracy of the result, it is recommended to minimize water contact with the forearm.
What not to do with mantoux
You can wash after vaccination, but you cannot perform other actions for some time.
It is not recommended with mantu:
- scratch the vaccination site;
- rub it with towels;
- compress the site of the reaction with clothing (elasticated sleeves or compression clothing);
- be in the cold for a long time, do anything that can lead to a deterioration of immunity;
- contact with allergens.
Is it possible to wet manta rays for people prone to colds?
Not recommended. If you have poor immunity, after the reaction you should avoid large water procedures and limit yourself to rubbing. Otherwise, leaving the stuffy bath into the cool corridor may result in a cold, which will greatly spoil the Mantoux readings. Therefore, if the immune defense is poor, you still cannot wet the Mantoux vaccine before the doctor examines it.
How many days will it take for all restrictions to be lifted?
Depends on when the doctor checks the reaction. This usually happens after three days. Afterwards, you can fully perform all the water procedures, rub your skin with towels and generally forget about precautions. The only rule: after Mantoux, when you can already wash yourself, even people with poor immunity should still not comb the “button” until it completely disappears. By scratching the wound, you can introduce infection under the skin.
