Scabies:
Fast Facts
Sexual Transmission
Scabies are passed on through close physical contact. Transmission is more likely when partners spend the night together than during a brief sexual encounter.
Nonsexual Transmission
Sexual contact is not necessary to spread scabies. Prolonged contact between household members may allow transmission to occur. Transmission is also possible through prolonged contact with infested linens, furniture, or clothing. It is unlikely that scabies would be transmitted during casual contact (e.g. shaking hands or hugging) or contact with inanimate objects, such as a toilet seat.
The type of scabies that infest humans is specific to human beings and are different than the type that infest dogs and other animals (more commonly known as mange).
Common sites of infestation are: webs and sides of fingers and toes, pubic and groin area, armpits, bends of elbows and knees, wrists, navel, breasts, lower portion of buttocks, penis and scrotum, and waist and abdomen. Rarely, they are found on the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet and the neck upward.
If a person has never been infected with scabies before, symptoms appear approximately 4 to 6 weeks after infection. If a person has been infected with scabies before, they will begin to experience symptoms within 1 to 4 days after infection, because of previous exposure to scabies.
A person is considered infectious from the time they become infected until treatment is successfully completed. Linens and clothing are considered infectious until treatment or until 2 weeks after the last exposure. After treatment, a person may unknowingly become re-infested through exposure to the primary source of contact or contact with a different infested source.
Recommended Treatment
Alternative Treatments
Scabies doesn’t usually cause anything more than discomfort and inconvenience. Occasionally, secondary bacterial infections may occur due to aggressive scratching.
ASHA believes that all people have the right to the information and services that will help them to have optimum sexual health. We envision a time when stigma is no longer associated with sexual health and our nation is united in its belief that sexuality is a normal, healthy, and positive aspect of human life.
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