Scabies

What is Scabies?

Scabies is a contagious skin disease that causes a severe itchy skin rash. Are you wondering how you get scabies, how it spreads or how to deal with others with proven scabies? This and more will be answered here.

Scabies

Scabies is caused by the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei, a type of mite that is small in size, only 0.3 – 0.5 mm long, and can be difficult to see.

The skin rash that occurs with scabies infection is often associated with intense itching, especially at night when the skin is hot and sweaty. The body reacts to the mite, the mite faeces and the eggs, and an allergic reaction occurs in the skin.

Scabies is not dangerous, although it can be very distressing with intense and severe itching for the affected person.

How do you get scabies?

You get scabies by being infected with scabies mites by others, usually through direct skin contact and through sexual contact. The skin contact must usually last for at least 15 minutes for the scabies to spread further. A handshake, a short hug and the like are therefore normally not enough to become infected with scabies.

In case of scabies infection, the female mite will begin to dig small holes in the outermost layer of skin on the body, where it then lays eggs which hatch after 3-4 days. The scabies are often visible in the skin.

In the skin, the scabies mite will continue to grow and multiply until treatment against scabies is started. Scabies therefore cannot disappear by itself and must always be treated.

How is scabies transmitted?

Scabies is a contagious skin disease and is usually spread in two different ways:

• Skin contact

• Sexual contact

Common situations where infection can occur:

• Intercourse.

• In families with children with a lot of close contact.

• Between children and/or between children and nursery staff.

• Co-sleeping in the same bed.

• Training partners in close contact sports.

• In collective.

Can scabies spread on a sofa?

In rare cases, scabies can also be transmitted indirectly through bedclothes, towels, carpets, sofas and textiles that a person with scabies mites has recently used. Scabies mites can survive in such textiles for up to four days and can therefore be the source of infection in some cases.

Does scabies go away by itself?

Scabies does not go away by itself, and you must therefore always be treated for scabies infection. A person with scabies is contagious as long as treatment is not started. After treatment against scabies has started and the first 24-hour round of treatment has been completed, you can go to daycare and school and work as normal. However, it is very important to repeat the treatment after 7 days.

Can animals transmit scabies?

Animals such as dogs, cats and foxes can get scabies, but scabies mites from animals will not cause disease in humans. This is because the scabies mite does not have the ability to survive for a long time on humans. Scabies cannot be transmitted from humans to animals either.