Scabies is a very common skin disease caused by a parasite - scabies mite. Infection most often occurs through direct contact with a sick person, less often through general hygiene items, bedding or clothing.
The most characteristic signs of scabies are severe itching and the appearance of typical scabies left by ticks on the skin. A regular handshake is one of the most common ways to get infected with scabies. That is why often the first rashes appear precisely on the hands - in the interdigital folds, on the wrists, in the ulnar fossa. In addition to hands, rashes can be localized on the skin of the abdomen, around the mammary glands, armpits, on the external genitalia, buttocks and feet. In adults, almost never the scabies mite does not affect the scalp, face and neck. But regardless of the location of the rashes, itching can appear throughout the body.
A slightly different clinical picture manifests itself in scabies in children. Symptoms can occur on almost any part of the body, including on the scalp, on the face, hands, and in babies sometimes even on the nails, which leads to their curvature, thickening and the appearance of cracks on them. Skin rashes are usually accompanied by severe itching. In the daytime, it can practically not bother the child, but noticeably amplifies in the evening and at night, as well as after taking a warm bath. This is due to the cycle of daily activity of parasites, since it was at this time that female ticks lay “passages” in the skin to the surface in order to lay eggs. Therefore, one of the symptoms that should alert parents is anxious behavior of the baby in the evening, increased nervous irritability and disturbances in night sleep.
Thanks to the easy contact path of transmission, scabies spreads very quickly in tight groups. Especially often outbreaks of scabies occur in kindergartens - kindergartens and nurseries. Here, the conditions are just perfect for this - when playing, the children are in close contact with each other, have common toys, towels and, often, bedding. And if at least one child showed signs of scabies, then you can be sure that the surrounding children will be infected immediately.
The first signs of scabies in children are sometimes detected within a few hours after contact with patients. The first to be felt is itching, and characteristic rashes appear on the skin. Often, the child begins to comb the itchy places strongly, as a result of which a secondary bacterial infection joins the scabies , requiring additional treatment with antibacterial drugs.
On visual inspection, typical signs of scabies are noticeable on the skin, namely itch moves. These are laid “routes” in the upper layer of the skin by female ticks, along which they go to the surface for laying eggs. Usually they have the appearance of straight or curved white lines with a length of 0.5 mm to 1 cm. Often scabies are surrounded by polymorphic rashes in the form of small (up to 3 mm) papules, vesicles, or pustules, and are accompanied by a characteristic reddening of adjacent skin areas. In children, rashes are often accompanied by an exudative component, which lubricates the overall picture of the disease, resembling signs of weeping eczema, which, however, is not amenable to conventional therapy. Sometimes with scabies, not quite typical rashes may appear, in the form of large blisters (from 4 mm), filled with liquid or pus.
If the child showed signs of scabies, then to establish a final diagnosis and prescribe subsequent treatment, you should immediately consult a dermatologist. Self-medication should be ruled out. Measures to combat scabies include mandatory preventive treatment for all family members, as the disease is very contagious. As well as conducting a thorough disinfection of all household items with which a sick child had contact. Bed linen, toys and clothes must be boiled for 25 minutes. Those items and things that cannot be washed and boiled are treated with hot steam or special preparations in aerosol form.