When the word scabies is mentioned most people automatically think of a disease which is associated with those who are dirty and unclean.
It is true, that a large number of cases do tend to be recorded amongst the homeless population where good hygiene is virtually impossible however, people from any background can become infected and there can be infestations in care homes, hospitals and other facilities where people “live in.” Hygiene really has no bearing on scabies what so ever.
Itch Mite
In all, around 300 million instances are thought to occur across the globe annually.
So, what is scabies?
Scabies is a skin disease which is extremely contagious. The disease is caused by a tiny mite known as the “itch mite” or to give it its proper name Sarcoptes scabiei. This eight legged parasite may only be 1/3 of a millimetre in length but if you become infested with these mites burrowing into your skin the chronic itching they cause can bring untold misery – especially at night.
In the case of human scabies it is the female mite which attacks. She burrows just under the skin, and creates a tunnel where she lays her eggs. In around three weeks the eggs hatch and the newly born mites make their way to the skins surface. From there they will either infect further areas of the present host or be passed onto a new host where the whole process will be repeated.
The itch mite cannot jump or fly, it can only crawl meaning that the only way the infestation can be passed from person to person is through skin to skin contact. Making it impossible to transfer mites where clothing comes into contact, or by shaking hands with an infected person. Indeed, the mites will only survive on a host for between 24 and 36 hours in favourable conditions but they will become immobilized if the temperature drops below 20oC (although this will not kill them.)
The most common method of transferring the disease is through sexual relationships but other types of physical contact such as parents having direct contact with their children when perhaps hugging them. This too can be enough to cause the spread of scabies.
It is worth noting that scabies or mange contracted by cats and dogs does not spread to humans, animals are infected by a different type of mite which cannot survive on a human host.
