Scabies
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What is it?
- Scabies is a very small mite (1/3 mm long) and has a flattened oval body with 8 legs
- The front two pairs of legs are claw-shaped suckers and the back two pairs have long, trailing bristles.
How do I get it?
- Skin to skin contact with an infected person. It is unknown if the mite can be acquired from infected clothing or bedding.
- Within one hour of getting a fertilized female on your skin, she begins to burrow into your skin.
- The mites have a 30 day life cycle and lay 2-3 eggs per day in the skin.
- It takes about 1 month for enough scabies to be present to start causing symptoms.
Symptoms?
- Symptoms are mild at first and are often attributed to a bug/spider bite
- Itching is the most common symptom and is usually much worse at night
- Scratching spreads the mites to other areas
- Tiny fluid filled bumps may be present in areas where the scabies are clustered
- Most common areas affected by scabies are: the waist, arm pits, knees, genital area, and around the feet/ankles
Complications?
Scabies can cause a great deal of itching and scratching can cause inflammation and a secondary bacterial infection.
Treatment:
- There are several creams that can be prescribed for the treatment of scabies
- The cream should be applied from head to toe as directed by your health care provider. All family members living in the same house and others you have had intimate/skin to skin contact with should be treated
- Clothing that has touched infected skin should also be washed along with all towels and bed linen.
- Even after the scabies have been treated, people often continue to have itching for 2-3 weeks.
Prevention:
- Avoid contact with a person infected with scabies and do not share clothing, towels, or bedding
