A WORRIED dad has warned parents about the dangers of soft play centres after his daughter was struck down with a horrible virus which covers her body in sores and has no cure.

The five-year-old’s parents are forced to cover her body in anti-septic cream in a bid to tackle the “angriest” blisters which appeared almost two-years-ago.

However, there is no treatment currently available for viral skin condition, which is understood to affect about one in every 1000 children.

Doctors have warned it can take years for the mystery illness – dubbed molluscum contagiosum – to go away and there’s no way of knowing how or why she contracted it.

The family’s GP believes it may have been picked up in a soft play centre, where the virus is thought to thrive.

However, the NHS website said it can also be contracted by sharing items such as towels or soft toys.

The parent told the Glasgow Times: “Her teachers have told us it’s a wee bit sore for her when she sits down but there’s nothing we can do.

“It’s big blisters and looks like something has stabbed cigarettes out on her legs. All we can do is cover it in cream to stop them becoming ­infected.”

He added: “It doesn’t stop her doing anything, she’s been able to go nursery and now school just fine.

“She’s still a lively wee thing, but it’s heartbreaking for us because we know it can hurt her and there’s nothing we can do.

“Every time we think they’re starting to, more ­appear. It’s exhausting.”

The youngster broke out in, what appeared to be, a heat rash around 18-months-ago when she was just three years old, but it quickly developed into blisters.

Her worried parents raced to their GP for treatment, but were told nothing could be done. The rare condition mostly affects children, however, it can occur at any age.

While not contagious to others without close personal contact, it can spread around the body – which accounts for it taking so long to ­disappear.

According to the NHS, the spots – which are easily recognisable due to a small dimple in the middle – can be itchy and, at times, painful.

The dad added: “Sometimes they can get on things and it hurts her.

“We’ve had it for 18 months and, normally, it only takes 18 months to go away, but we’ve been told it can take years. It’s just a waiting game.

“Now people are much more cautious because of coronavirus, but before we went to soft plays and she played with soft toys at nursery we never thought anything out it.”

He added: “If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have taken her to these ­places.

“People are desperate for them to open back up, but they should be wary.

“You just don’t know what’s lurking.”

The parents had never heard of the virus before the little one was infected and say their family and friends were also unaware of it.

Now, they want to raise awareness to make sure other families don’t have to go through the same agony.

“It’s horrible looking at her wee skin all marked,” the dad added.

“They’re absolutely everywhere and some are really angry. Before this happened, we were taking her to softplay centres all the time, like loads of other people and she loved it.

“Between this and Covid-19, it’s really made us think twice.”