How Do You Get Scabies?

What causes scabies? Scabies is a communicable skin disease which is brought about by a parasite with eight legs called Sarcoptes scabiei, the itch mite. These mites are small and require high-powered magnifying lenses for viewership. The mites burrow into the skin of the victim and in turn cause scabies symptoms of intense itching in that area. This itching gets intense and terrible during the night.

Scabies is common, and the question you need to ask yourself is; how do people get scabies? This disease is contagious, and it can pass from one person to another easily and quickly. A handshake is enough to move the scabies mite to you. These mites cannot jump, but they can pass from one individual to the other by contact, clothes, and any other item that they can rest on. It is vital to note that these parasites do not have a long lifespan away from the body of the human being. The items mites can cling to easily include mats, carpets, lounges, rugs, mattresses, and cuddly toys.

Causes of scabies are many, and the main ones are contact and sharing clothing. However, there are other causes like overcrowding in districts of tenement and inadequate personal cleanliness. Anybody can get the infection and re-infection. In most cases, infection makes one's body resistant to re-infection. This disease is common among troops who are fighting in wartime conditions.

However, it is not easy to get this infection by sharing clothes and closets or handshakes with infected people. Sexual contact is among causes of scabies and is the ideal form of infecting another person with this parasite. Any other physical intimate contact is also a definite way of transferring this disease. These ways include kissing and hugging among relatives. Standing side by side like bus stops is not sufficient to bring forth an opportunity to spread this disease.

It is essential to note that animals have a different type of mite that cannot survive in the body of a human being. It will die in the body of a person, and the level of itching they cause is moderate. This itching will also go away with time. When you leave scabies itching untreated, it will spread all over the body and get worse.

During the first weeks of getting this disease, the itching is quite mild and gets intense during the night. However, as time goes and you do not treat the disease, the itching will get horrible to the break-even point of being inexorable. A patient who has scabies will only accept the condition after experiencing terrible itching that will make him sleepless for the whole night. The level of itching that comes from this disease will warrant you to get immediate treatment.

You need to know that you need to maintain contact with an infected person for a few minutes for the mite to move to your body. Without the presence of a human host, the mite will only survive for three days. Larva and eggs of this parasite, however, can survive longer. To get rid of this mite, you have to kill all stages of its survival and reproduction. Application of mite killers is the first step in treating the disease. It comes in the form of a cream which will be applied one time per day and left on for the night and washed at daytime. This application is made for a full week. Secondly, you will cure the disease using oral medication. This one sounds better and does not give the patient a lot of hassle than cream application. Dosage recommendation varies with the weight of the body of the patient.

However, you need to be careful because the drugs might have a side effect that is not good for your health. When you experience a bothersome symptom of scabies, hurry up and get tested for immediate treatment. Different people are at different levels of getting this infection. The main breeding grounds are prisons, nursing homes, and public places. Avoid going to overcrowded areas to prevent infection.