Because scabies is highly contagious, your child must stay at home until treatment is completed. The entire family should be treated, even though only one person seems to be infected. Prior to treatment, give your child a bath or shower and dry the skin gently. Your doctor will prescribe a lotion or cream (e.g. benzoyl benzoate) which is to be applied to the skin, from the neck down. Make sure that you cover the skin thoroughly, paying special attention to the genital area, and under fingernails. Do not wash lotion or cream off for 24 hours! Clothing, linen, towels and soft toys should be washed in order to destroy mites and eggs. Vacuum all carpets and mattresses. If you cannot wash some items, spray them with insecticide and leave them tightly closed in a plastic bag for 2-3 days.

After 24 hours, wash your child thoroughly. Treatment should now be complete. Sometimes the itch takes up to a week to disappear. This is usually due to an allergic response, and does not mean that your child still has scabies. Do not reapply the lotion or cream unless advised to do so by your doctor.

When to see your doctor

• if itching persists for more than a week, or initially stops and then returns;

• if bleeding, scabs or pus-filled sores appear in the same area as the itching.

Complications

The itchy areas may become infected after excessive scratching.

Prevention

Initial infection with scabies cannot be prevented. To prevent the spread of scabies, wash linen, towels, clothes and soft toys. Treat all family members. Do not send your child to kindergarten or school until treatment has been successfully completed.

Even if only one child has scabies, treat all family members at the same time to avoid spreading the infection.

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