Doctor explains you need to know about scabies

Itching on your skin over a large area with thin white lines? It may be an indication of scabies.

Scabies is a disease caused by infestation of an insect - a mite to be exact - named sarcoptes scabiei.

We will discuss what these insects are, how do you get infected, and what to do once you are attacked by these pesky bugs.

What is a mite?

A mite is a small insect, usually microscopic and so has the super power of being invisible! We can't see it with our eyes, but it's there. Chances are you have a few mites over your body right now, almost everyone has, don't worry though, not all of them lead to diseases.

What? Sarcoptes scabiei?

This pesky bugger is the one that can cause disease. It has a long fancy name - Sarcoptes scabiei var hominis. Guess those scientists thought its fun to punish medical students - so the long name! This is how it looks under a microscope:

How does it infect us humans?

It gets on our skin, makes it's own little burrow to live. The mommy mite and daddy mite enter the burrow get all the privacy they need (Yes, things happen inside a burrow on your skin!)

Later, the mommy mite lays 40-50 eggs in that burrow. Eggs hatch and the larva or baby mites come out and start crawling everywhere, creating their own burrows and this is how the disease spreads inside your skin.

How it spreads

Prolonged skin to skin contact
Sexual transmission
Towels, bedsheet, clothing can act as transfer tools

Symptoms

How do you know you have scabies?

Well, if you see the burrows (White fine lines like threads) associated with severe itching, that is worse at night.
As it spreads through contact and even clothing, usually other members that live in the same house also catch it. Multiple members of the same family with itching, is highly suggestive of scabies.
Small nodules on affected areas.
Moist areas are affected mostly -
- nipples,
- Area around your belly button,
- Under arms,
- Spaces between your fingers and toes,
- Lower part of buttocks, genitalia and inner thighs.
- Usually back isn't involved.

Treatment

You will need a prescription for permethrin from a doctor for this. Usually 5% permethrin, It will be in the form of a cream or a lotion.
- It should be applied on the entire body under the neck.
- Especially over genitalia, edge of nails, between the fingers and toes and even over soles of your feet, entire area below the neck.
- It should be kept for 8-12 hours (Overnight), then you can shower.
- All members of the family have to be treated at once even if they have no symptoms.
All bedding, towels, basically any piece of cloth that can transfer scabies should be washed properly in hot water, usually with addition of dettol or savlon and later sundried. This should happen right along with body treatment.
The above 2 steps if done together, will eliminate all traces of scabies at once and there will be no risk of reinfection.

We hope this information is useful for you and we were successful in spreading awareness about this disease. Stay smiling. For any questions write a comment or head over to our forum to start a discussion.

For more such posts, visit us. In case of any doubts or queries, use the comment box below.