scabies

Definitions

itchy crawly skin

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Or: human scabies / scabs , a highly contagious infestation marked by intense itching (usually more severe at night) caused by an almost invisible itch mite (Sarcoptes scabiei hominis) that burrows and resides in human skin. Scabies is sometimes spread by sexual or close personal contact, but you can also pick them up by using the same bed linen, clothes, or towels of an infected person; it can spread rapidly among children, family members and roommates. Scabies is similar to pubic lice with the difference that but the bugs are too small to be seen. TREATMENT: Prescription or over-the-counter creams, lotions, and shampoo (Kwell, RID, Nix). All clothes, bedsheets, combs and other personal articles must be washed or treated since lice can live for over 24 hours once they leave the body.