Scabies

 

 Scabies

Scabies is caused by a mite (a tiny insect) that's hardly visible without a microscope. The mite is disc-shaped, pearly-white in color, with 4 pairs of brown legs, and reaches an adult size that is less then 0.5 mm.

The scabies mite can infest warm and moist folds of skin, such as armpits, buttocks, or groin. They can be found behind the knees, on the inside of elbows and wrists, or between fingers. Scabies usually isn't seen on the scalp or on the palms of hands or the soles of feet. It is possible, however, for young children or people who harbour very large numbers of mites to be susceptible in those areas. Seniors might also find mites at the hairline, neck, temple, and forehead regions.

Scabies is quite a common condition, affecting 300 million people worldwide.

Scabies spreads through skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. Transmission commonly occurs between family members and sexual partners. Scabies is a major problem in crowded areas, particularly in hospitals, child care centers, prisons, and nursing homes. In some cases, scabies is transmitted by sharing unwashed clothes, towels and bedding. In some cases, scabies and crusted scabies can lead to serious complications, such as secondary infections and poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, which is inflammation of the kidneys.

Symptoms and Complications of Scabies

Scabies causes an intense itching that's worse at night or after bathing. The itching results from an allergic reaction the body has to the mites' feces or excrement. From 2 to 6 weeks after the initial contact, a person will develop a rash, even on parts of the body that aren't infested. Scratching gives no relief from the itch, but can cause bleeding and open sores that are then susceptible to bacterial infections.

The burrow where the mite lives appears as a slightly raised, greyish-white thread on the skin. The female mites lay their eggs at the closed end of these burrows.

 

 Prevention

• Quick identification and treatment is very important to control further spread of scabies.
• Infected persons should be excluded from school or work until the day after treatment.

Treatment

Treatment consists of applying an insecticidal (Permethrin) creme or lotion and cleaning the infected person's recently used clothing and bedding.

All household members and intimate contacts should also be treated at the same time as the infected person. Intimate contacts are persons who have had prolonged skin-to-skin contact with someone who has scabies. Treating everyone at the same time prevents re-infestation with scabies from other persons who might be infected but not have symptoms yet.

Obtain the prescription treatment creme or lotion from a health care provider.

CAUTION!

It is possible to get scabies again (re-infestation) if you come in contact with mites.

To avoid re-infestation, it is extremely important to follow instructions exactly for treatment and cleaning and laundering contaminated clothing, bedding, and other objects.

If a new skin rash or sores occur, consult your health care provider.