What are Scabies?
What type of STIs are scabies?
Scabies are a parasitic STI in the form of small mites burrowing under your skin.
What are some initial signs of scabies?
Some initial symptoms are itching, especially at night, and a pimple-like itchy rashes.
What is the most common way you can contract scabies?
The most common way scabies spread is through this type of direct contact, which usually happens between family members, partners, or people who live together.
Why do you need treatments for scabies?
Scabies are not usually a serious condition. However, you do need correct treatments for long-term infections.
Can scabies only be transmitted through sexual contact?
False: Scabies can be transmitted through any prolonged skin-to-skin contact
What are the names of the mites that cause scabies?
Sarcoptes scabiei
What causes the itching in scabies?
Is it possible for objects to be infected?
While less common, scabies can also spread by sharing these personal items, such as clothing, towels, or bedding.
How do you prevent scabies?
Avoid direct skin-to-skin contact with a person with scabies / Avoid sharing items such as clothing or bedding used by a person with scabies.
Can scabies mites crawl or jump from person to person?
False: they can only be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact.
What do Sarcoptes scabiei do to irritate the skin?
They burrow under your skin and lay eggs creating an intense itching sensation.
What would happen if you scratched the rash too much?
Scratching too much can break your skin and cause an infection, such as impetigo.
How can you protect yourself?
Avoid skin to skin contact, don’t share clothes with an infected person, and avoid any sexual contact with an infected person.
What are some ways to help from itchiness?
Some ways you could help calm down itchiness is by using steroid cream, menthol cream or gel, antihistamines.
Does having good hygiene prevent scabies?
False: no matter how clean you are having scabies is not related to having bad hygiene.
What part of the body do scabies mites normally burrow in?
Warm folded areas around the body like in between fingers, around the waist, and around the elbows.
What are burrow tracks?
Burrow tracks are thin, wavy, grayish lines on the patient's skin, which are actually made by mites digging underneath the surface.
How long can scabies mites survive?
While scabies mites cannot survive for long outside the human body, they can live up to 3 days on this item, making it a potential source of transmission in communal areas.
What are the most common treatments used for scabies?
The most common treatments used for scabies are permethrin cream and malathion lotion.
If you don’t see burrows or mites on your skin, you don’t have scabies.
False, the mites are microscopic and often cannot be seen before rashes and itchiness.
What type of scabies is much more contagious and serious than normal scabies?
Crusted scabies: is a very serious and contagious form of scabies which, unlike normal scabies, causes large, thick crusts on your skin filled with mites. Mainly affects those with weak immune systems.
How long can it take for symptoms to start showing?
Scabies symptoms don’t appear immediately. For a person who has never had scabies before, it can take 4-8 weeks for symptoms to show up after the mites first get on their skin.
No, scabies cannot spread through water, mites on pets are different from scabies and scabies are likely to be on pets.
How long does the treatment have to last for scabies?
Within 4 weeks, your skin should heal. If not, you may still have mites.
Scabies mites if unlucky can accidentally travel into your bloodstream and the inner layers of your skin.
False, scabies only life in the outer layer of your skin or the surface.