Scabies is an itchy skin disease. It’s caused by an itch mite and transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. It’s common among kids and adults since crowded conditions in day care centers, hospitals and nursing homes are ideal breeding grounds for scabies outbreaks. However, it can also be transmitted through sexual contact. So if you think you or your partner have it, make sure to:
Look out for symptoms
Since the 8-legged mites are invisible without the help of a microscopic, you’ll have no luck trying to check your skin for the bugs. You’ll need to wait until symptoms appear. That could take weeks, though. In the meantime, the bugs have laid eggs that have hatched and the cycle has probably repeated a few times over. Egg mites and waste inside your skin often cause an allergic reaction and that’s when symptoms typically appear.
Get treatment right away
There are about one million cases of scabies across the U.S. every year and 300 million cases happen on a global scale, says Bustle. That’s one of the reasons why you’ll find a number of options when it comes to treatment and care. Plenty of traditional treatments, though, make use of chemicals that are harsh or harmful to the skin or body. That’s why going with natural remedies to cure scabies is one of the best treatments you can go for. This often includes lotions or creams to ease the itching along with soaps and bath solutions to help heal the symptoms while getting rid of the mites at the same time.
Know how they spread
Avoid skin-to-skin contact with anyone who has scabies. If you and your sexual partner has it, get treated at the same time to kill the mites. And wash everything—beddings, linens, clothes, towels and others—in boiling water. Dry them out with high heat to ensure no mites escape.
