Poison Ivy - Oak - Sumac

When To Call

Go to ER Now

• Trouble breathing or severe coughing after being near to burning weeds

Call Doctor or Seek Care Now

• Fever and looks infected (spreading redness or pus)
• Your child looks or acts very sick
• You think your child needs to be seen, and the problem is urgent

Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours

• Looks infected (spreading redness or pus) and no fever
• Swelling is severe (such as the eyes are swollen shut)
• Severe poison ivy reaction in the past
• Rash covers more than one fourth of the body
• Face, eyes, lips or genitals have a rash
• Severe itching (such as can't sleep)
• Big blisters or sores
• You think your child needs to be seen, but the problem is not urgent

Contact Doctor During Office Hours

• Rash lasts more than 3 weeks
• You have other questions or concerns

Self Care at Home

• Mild poison ivy or sumac rash

Care Advice

What You Should Know About Poison Ivy:

• Poison ivy is caused by skin contact with the oil from the plant.
• The oil can also come from the fur of outdoor pets.
• Most poison ivy rashes can be treated at home.
• Here is some care advice that should help.

Steroid Cream for Itching:

• To help with the itch, put 1% hydrocortisone cream (such as Cortaid) on the rash.
• No prescription is needed.
• Use 3 times per day.

Cold Soaks for Itching:

• Soak the involved area in cool water for 20 minutes.
• You can also rub the rash with an ice cube.
• Do as often as needed to help the itching and oozing.

Allergy Medicine for Itching:

• If itching becomes severe, give an allergy medicine, such as Benadryl.
• No prescription is needed. Age limit: 1 and older.
• If needed longer than a few days, switch to a long-acting antihistamine, such as Zyrtec. Age limit: 6 months and older.
• Zyrtec dosing for 6 months to 2 years: 2.5 mL (2.5 mg) every 24 hours.
• Zyrtec dosing for 2 years and older: follow package directions.

Try Not to Scratch:

• Cut the fingernails short.
• Help your child not to scratch.
• Reason: prevent a skin infection from bacteria.

More Poison Ivy - Prevention:

• New blisters may occur several days after the first ones. This means your child probably has ongoing contact with poison ivy oil.
• To prevent it from coming back, bathe all dogs or other pets.
• Wash all clothes and shoes that your child wore on the day of contact.

Return to School:

• Poison ivy or oak cannot be spread to others.
• The fluid from the blisters or rash can't cause poison ivy.
• No need to miss any school or child care.

What to Expect:

• Most often, the rash lasts 2 weeks.
• Treatment can reduce the severity of symptoms.
• Treatment does not change how long they last.

Call Your Doctor If:

• Poison ivy lasts for more than 3 weeks
• It looks infected
• You think your child needs to be seen
• Your child becomes worse

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Photos

Poison Ivy Plant (Example 1)

The leaves appear in groups of three.

Poison ivy grows as a small plant, as a bush, or as a vine.

Source: Wikimedia Commons
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. This is a public domain image file from Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia is a freely licensed media repository.

Poison Sumac Plant

Poison sumac can have groups of 6-12 leaves. Each stem has leaves growing across (parallel) from each other. Young plants are red or red-brown. As a poison sumac plant grows older, the leaves will become brown or grey.

Source: Wikimedia Commons
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. This is a public domain image file from Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia is a freely licensed media repository.

Poison Ivy Rash on Forearm

The oil from the plant leaves irritates the skin.

The redness and blistering from the rash often appears in streaks or lines, because the leaf brushes across the body in a line as a person walks past.

Source: Self Care Decisions, LLC
Used with Permission from Schmitt Pediatric Guidelines LLC.

Poison Ivy Rash on Wrist

The oil from the plant leaves irritates the skin.

The redness and blistering from the rash is often arranged in streaks or lines, because the leaf brushes across the body in a line as a person walks past.

Source: Self Care Decisions, LLC
Used with Permission from Schmitt Pediatric Guidelines LLC.

Poison Oak Plant

Poison oak can grow on a tree or a vine. The leaves look wavy and grow in groups of threes.

Source: Wikimedia Commons
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. This is a public domain image file from Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia is a freely licensed media repository.