Scabies - this is a contagious disease, the causative agent of which is a special parasite - scabies mite. The size of the tick is so small that it is impossible to examine it with the naked eye. Besides the ability to parasitize on the human body, these small insects can remain viable on everyday objects and things - cushions, door handles, personal things, bedspreads, etc. - for not too long. Contrary to popular belief, you can not get scabies from pets. The most common way of infection is direct contact with a person who has become infected. That is why it is so important to notice the manifestations of scabies in time and place the patient in quarantine. In addition, you should carefully sterilize household items and personal items, as you can get scabies without direct contact with the parasite carrier.
Scabies in children: symptoms
The time from infection to disease on average is about three weeks. Getting on the human skin, scabies begin to actively eat and lay eggs. For 1.5 months (this is the life span of the female tick) about 50 eggs are laid, and the larvae emerging from them again repeat the life cycle, infecting all the larger areas of the body.
Consider in detail how scabies look in children
The most noticeable and early manifesting symptom of the disease is itching (especially at night). On the skin of the carrier there are noticeable itchy strokes that look like small sinuous or straight strips of gray or white color. At the end of these lines, black dots are visible - this is a mite tickling through the skin. In addition, the skin shows a rash in the form of small bubbles (nodules). Symptoms of scabies in children and adults are the same.
In recent years, manifestations of scabies are often confused with other skin diseases and reactions. This is associated with a significant spread of allergic reactions, in particular skin allergic dermatitis, which, like scabies, is characterized by itching and rash. Attempts to treat scabies in the same way as dermatitis (trying to wash less, lubricate with ointments, in particular hormonal ones) do not bring the desired effect and only aggravate the situation. In order to accurately determine the cause of the itch and rash and exclude the possibility of scabies, laboratory tests are carried out.
Treatment of scabies
Treatment of scabies in children and adults is aimed at the destruction of the pathogen - scabies mite. In view of the low complexity, such treatment can be carried out at home, but with mandatory observance of the quarantine norms for the sick person and his family members. To choose the most effective drug, you should consult your doctor. Self-assignment and use of medicines is highly undesirable.
If the quarantine is not observed, it is likely the emergence of a foci of infection, because from one sick family member all the others become infected. At the same time the risk of the disease is higher, the less the age of a person. Thus, the risk of scabies in infants and toddlers is highest.
Tips for parents:
- In addition to the infected, all those who are often in direct contact with the sick should undergo treatment, even if they have no symptoms.
- Be sure to observe quarantine - the patient should use specially allocated towels, dishes, personal things, sleep in a separate bed. The bed linen and bedclothes are boiled and thoroughly ironed.
- Use anticoagulant drugs best in the evening, before going to bed. This will ensure the greatest effectiveness of the drugs. Avoid getting drugs on the mucous membranes. In the treatment of scabies in infants, after the treatment of the skin, they are put on a thin hat and a ryoshonku with sewn sleeves so that the child does not ate the medicine or scratch his eyes or nose in a dream.
In case the drug still gets on the mucous membranes, it should be washed abundantly and thoroughly washed with running water. - Antiscabic drugs are applied by hand (in a disposable glove, which should then be discarded immediately), and not with a tampon, spatula or napkin. The minimum period for which the drug is applied to the skin is 12 hours. Thus, it is best to perform treatment immediately after the shower, applying the medicine to dry clean skin. After the expiration of the drug (an average of 12 hours, but may differ depending on the chosen remedy), the patient should again take a shower and change the bed linen.
- The medicine is applied in the following order: head-face-trunk-limb.