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Summer scabies - how to beat it

31/ 8/2004

Keep fit and stay healthy with Zahida Abbas

Asalamu Alaykum readers.

Now that summer is upon us once again, I would like to think that we are making an effort to eat extra fruit, drink plenty of fluids and take walks to make the most of the summer.
This month I would like to draw your attention to an increasingly common skin condition called scabies. It is easy to catch off others and the most common symptom is increased itching on the skin.
It is most commonly caught on the skin of young children, but when brought home, it is easy enough to catch when in close contact with the child.

The most common symptom is intense itching. The urge to scratch can be almost unbearable. The hands and wrists are most often affected as well as the armpits and buttocks.
Constant scratching causes sores and scabs and the skin can become infected with bacteria as well as infested with mites.

How do you catch it?
Scabies is caused by infestation on the skin with tiny insect like creatures called mites. They burrow into the skin tunnelling into the tissue, where they lay eggs and cause severe itching.
The mites are passed on from one person to the next through close personal contact or by contact with infested clothes or bedclothes.
Scabies is passed very easily between children at school. Sleeping in the same bed as someone with scabies often leads to infestation.

What can I do?
Scabies can easily be treated,
There are various creams, lotions and applications that can be used. They can be either prescribed by your GP or brought from the local chemist.
These are applied all over the skin from the neck down and left over night.

Some of the older treatments were smelly and messy to use. New treatments are much more convenient. Everyone in the house should be treated even if they are not showing any symptoms of scabies. Signs of scabies can take a few days to develop. If everyone in the house does not receive treatment at the same time, the infestation may simply pass from one person to the next in a never ending circle.

Clothes and bedding should be washed using the hottest water that the material can withstand.
The mites do not live for long once they have lost contact with human skin, so anything that cannot be washed can be left alone for four days.