How to Identify Scabies

Scabies is a highly contagious condition caused by parasitic mites. Due to its contagiousness, it often occurs in day cares, nursing homes and other places where people frequently congregate. It often breaks out in epidemics. Scabies is easily treated with topical medication.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Note any rash that is severely itchy. Scabies usually itches at night or after a hot bath or shower. It may itch so much it prevents sleep.

2. Pay attention to any red patches on the skin. These are sites in which the mites have burrowed under the skin to live.

3. Analyze any curvy white or red lines that are razor thin. These marks result from the mites burrowing into the skin.

4. Look for the rash in warm places on the body. Mites generally like areas between the fingers, the armpits, naval, lower abdomen and genitals. It is extremely rare for scabies to appear on the face.

5. Identify any rash with a scaly appearance. A severe form of scabies, known as Norwegian scabies, has a crusted appearance. This type of scabies is more difficult to treat due to the crusted condition of the skin. It makes it more difficult for the medicine to reach the rash and mites.

6. Get tested. A doctor can perform a simple skin test to identify whether the rash is due to scabies mites. This is a painless test that involves scraping the rash for skin samples to analyze under a microscope. The mites are easy to identify under the microscope.

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