rockin'robin
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My son went to the doctor with itching and a rash...to find he had acquired Scabies....I've never heard of it...and we don't know how he got it...He got a prescription from the doctor and now is fine....
While scabies--also known as the human "itch mite"--knows no geographical, racial or economic boundaries, there are certain conditions in which scabies tend to thrive. Conditions that are crowded give rise to scabies infections, such as prisons, daycare facilities and nursing homes. All it takes is one impregnated female mite to perpetuate an infestation. During her one to two-month life, the mite continues to lay eggs in her "burrow" in the skin, expanding her habitat as new eggs are laid. Eggs hatch and mature in 21 days, during which time the new adult mites breed and further spread the condition to other parts of the human body. The symptoms of a scabies infestation in humans is a pervasive itchy, red rash that is typically worse at night.
Sustained contact with someone who has scabies is the primary way infestations occur in humans. The scabies mite cannot hop, jump or fly from one person to another. Prolonged physical contact permits the mite to transverse from one person to another. In most adult cases of scabies, the mite is transmitted through sexual contact, and in fact, the Centers for Disease Control considers scabies a sexually-transmitted disease for this reason. The female scabies mite gives preference to certain areas of the body, particularly those in which parts of the skin come into contact with each other, such as the webbing between the fingers, the crook of the elbow, the genital area, the inside of the wrists and in between the shoulder blades. Often the mite's burrow, a slightly raised serpentine ridge that is gray or flesh-colored, can be detected with the naked eye. Scabies infections on humans are typically treated with "scabicides," topical agents containing permethrin or crotamiton that are applied and left on the body for a recommended time (usually several hours) and then washed away
Exposure to Personal Items
Sharing personal effects such as bedding, towels and clothing with someone who has scabies permits the mite to be transferred to a new host without prolonged physical contact. Even though an infested person receives treatment, this does not rid their immediate environment of the mites, which can live from two to three days without a human host. Bedding and clothing that is worn next to the skin of someone with a scabies infestation should be machine washed and dried in hot water and high heat. Items that cannot be cleaned can be placed in plastic bags or containers and placed somewhere away from the environment, such as a garage. Carpets and rugs should be vacuumed thoroughly. "Starving" the mites by simply staying away from the environment until they die also ensures that they don't spread.
How Does One Get Scabies? | eHow
While scabies--also known as the human "itch mite"--knows no geographical, racial or economic boundaries, there are certain conditions in which scabies tend to thrive. Conditions that are crowded give rise to scabies infections, such as prisons, daycare facilities and nursing homes. All it takes is one impregnated female mite to perpetuate an infestation. During her one to two-month life, the mite continues to lay eggs in her "burrow" in the skin, expanding her habitat as new eggs are laid. Eggs hatch and mature in 21 days, during which time the new adult mites breed and further spread the condition to other parts of the human body. The symptoms of a scabies infestation in humans is a pervasive itchy, red rash that is typically worse at night.
Sustained contact with someone who has scabies is the primary way infestations occur in humans. The scabies mite cannot hop, jump or fly from one person to another. Prolonged physical contact permits the mite to transverse from one person to another. In most adult cases of scabies, the mite is transmitted through sexual contact, and in fact, the Centers for Disease Control considers scabies a sexually-transmitted disease for this reason. The female scabies mite gives preference to certain areas of the body, particularly those in which parts of the skin come into contact with each other, such as the webbing between the fingers, the crook of the elbow, the genital area, the inside of the wrists and in between the shoulder blades. Often the mite's burrow, a slightly raised serpentine ridge that is gray or flesh-colored, can be detected with the naked eye. Scabies infections on humans are typically treated with "scabicides," topical agents containing permethrin or crotamiton that are applied and left on the body for a recommended time (usually several hours) and then washed away
Exposure to Personal Items
Sharing personal effects such as bedding, towels and clothing with someone who has scabies permits the mite to be transferred to a new host without prolonged physical contact. Even though an infested person receives treatment, this does not rid their immediate environment of the mites, which can live from two to three days without a human host. Bedding and clothing that is worn next to the skin of someone with a scabies infestation should be machine washed and dried in hot water and high heat. Items that cannot be cleaned can be placed in plastic bags or containers and placed somewhere away from the environment, such as a garage. Carpets and rugs should be vacuumed thoroughly. "Starving" the mites by simply staying away from the environment until they die also ensures that they don't spread.
How Does One Get Scabies? | eHow