What is scabies?

My son who attends a boarding school came home with severe skin rashes which was diagnosed as Scabies. Kindly let me know what this is and how to stop it from spreading in my family.

 Imole (by SMS)

Scabies is caused by an infestation of tiny, eight-legged mites. The mites burrow into the top layer of your skin to live and feed. Female mites lay eggs. Your skin reacts to the mites and their waste, and you develop an itchy rash.These mites pass easily between people. Direct skin-to-skin contact is the most common way the infestation is spread.

The mites can also be spread through infested:furniture, clothes and bedding. Scabies outbreaks are in crowded areas where there is skin-to-skin contact. This can include:nursing homes and extended care facilities, detention facilities, school dormitories and child care facilities. Treatment for scabies usually involves getting rid of the infestation with prescription ointments, creams, and lotions applied directly to the skin. Doctors may also recommend oral medications.

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A doctor will probably instruct you to apply topical medications at night when the mites are most active. You may need to treat all of your skin from the neck down. You can wash off the medication the following morning.

A doctor may also prescribe additional medications to help relieve some of the bothersome symptoms associated with scabies.

Scabies is highly contagious. It can spread in the following ways: prolonged skin-to-skin contact, such as holding hands, intimate personal contact, such as having sexual intercourse as well as sharing clothing, bedding, or towels used by someone with a scabies infection.

Since scabies mainly spreads through direct physical contact, the infestation can easily pass on to family members, friends, and sexual partners. The infestation may also spread quickly in settings where many people are in close contact for long periods, such as schools.

While no medication can prevent a scabies infection, you may be able to avoid getting scabies by avoiding direct skin-to-skin contact with a person who has it. It’s also best to avoid unwashed clothing or bedding used by someone with scabies.