Scabies is a contagious disease produced by microscopic wingless insects also known as mites. The female mites get under your skin and lay their eggs. During this process you will see that on the infected area have appeared red blisters and bumps. Also, itching especially during the night is present.



This disease generally affects the skin between the fingers, from the elbows, armpits, wrists and around the waist.

The way to get scabies is by sharing the same towels, clothes and laundry with a person that is infected. Getting is close contact can lead to the transmission of the disease. Shaking hands is not sufficient to cause the disease. Only prolonged contact can do that. Having sex with an infected person is also a risk.

Animals are not a source of contamination because they can be affected by a different type of scabies, than the human scabies.

Scabies affects mostly the children, especially those who live in boarding schools; roommates, people who live in small spaces and sexual partners. Those who live in crowded places, in unsanitary conditions are most likely to develop the disease.

Usually, scabies symptoms appear within five weeks from contamination but they can develop sooner if one has suffered before of this disease.

The female can deposit eggs for five weeks and after that the new mites will deposit their own eggs and so the infection will spread continuously.

In order to treat scabies the doctor will prescribe you a lotion which must be applied from the neck downwards and left there for eight hours. It is best to apply it before going to bed and wash it off in the morning. After a few days the blisters will begin to disappear.

To prevent scabies from spreading you should wash all your towels, clothes and other laundry in hot water at over 120o F. Using special cleaning solutions like borax and Safe Solutions is also indicated. Cut your nails in order to remove the eggs or mites that could have sheltered over there.

Also, hairbrushes, combs and hair accessories should be disinfected in hot water and the same special solutions used for towels for at least 15 minutes.

All family members must be examined to see if they have contacted scabies or not.

Generally scabies will clear up after two weeks of treatment but check-ups must be done periodically to see if reinstalment of the disease has occurred.