Only prescription medications can kill the mites.
This article discusses how scabies spreads.
It also explains ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent the disease.
Kinga Krzeminska / Getty Images
Kinga Krzeminska / Getty Images
How Does Scabies Spread?
Scabies is usually passed from an infected person to others during prolonged, direct skin-to-skin contact like holding hands.
It takes about 10 minutes of contact for the mite to pass from the infected host to another person.
Scabies is easily passed among people who share the same household.
Scabies infestations can be found in places where people interact and live in crowded conditions.
Children can become infected with scabies by their parents.
Among young adults, the disease is often spread during sexual contact.
Crusted scabies are more common among people who have a weakenedimmune system.
How Long Is Scabies Contagious?
If you have scabies, you’re considered contagious until you receive your first treatment.
The time between infestation and symptoms is called theincubation period.
The first time you have scabies, it can take four to eight weeks for symptoms to appear.
If you’ve previously had a scabies infection, symptoms typically emerge within four days after exposure.
Once you are infected, you could spread the disease even if you don’t have symptoms.
The eggs hatch and create new adults that burrow within two weeks.
Their babies maintain the cycle of burrowing and egg-laying until the entire infestation is treated.
Your immune system recognizes the mites and their waste as potentially dangerous organisms, which triggers a response.
This results in the itchy, red rash that is common with scabies.
If your diagnosis is unclear, your healthcare provider may take askin biopsyto confirm the presence of mites.
In this procedure, a sample of tissue is removed to be analyzed in a laboratory.
Scabies Treatment
Eradicating scabies requires the use of prescription medications.
Risk Factors for Scabies
Your best defense against scabies is to be aware of your risks.
Seek medical care as soon as possible if you discover you have been exposed to scabies or develop symptoms.
The examination and treatment of your household and sexual and close contacts are also necessary to avoid reinfection.
The mites trigger an immune response that causes an intense rash and itching.
Scabies mites are passed through prolonged skin-to-skin contact with an infected person.
It’s key to get an accurate diagnosis of scabies as soon as possible.
The disease requires prescribed drugs for treatment.
If you become infected, your sexual and close personal contacts should also be treated at the same time.
This prevents the spread of the disease and your reinfection.
A Word From Verywell
Having scabies can be frustrating.
The itching can be intense, especially at night, which can interfere with sleep.
To kill the mites, it’s important to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.
This also reduces the risk of skin damage from scratching or rubbing to relieve the itching.
Unfortunately, scabies isn’t well understood in the United States.
There is a misconception that the disease is linked to poor hygiene, which isn’t accurate.
Seek support from your healthcare team on ways to avoid feeling isolated.
Frequently Asked Questions
A person with scabies is contagious until they begin using an approved prescription treatment.
They are contagious as soon as they are infected, even before symptoms occur.
It’s possible to be exposed to scabies and not get infected.
It usually takes at least 10 minutes of skin-to-skin contact with an infected person to catch scabies.
It is more likely to occur when the infected person has a high level of infection.
It can also happen when the infected person has crusted scabies, a more intense form of the disease.
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