Scabies (or scabies) is a skin disease caused by the mite (parasite) sarcoptes scabiei, a small 4-pair legged mite, the female digs furrows where she lays her eggs for 3 - 5 days, her lesions are very itchy, with erythematous papules and furrows in the interdigital spaces, wrists, waist and genitals. It is characterized by a strong itching, mainly at night, and a reddish rash on the skin.
In infants, lesions appear on the scalp, back, hands, and feet. In adults, the mammary and genital regions and interdigital spaces of the hands.
The diagnosis is made mainly by the patient's medical history, family history, epidemiology, when there are other cases of intra or extra home contact and by the finding of the mite through a direct examination, moistening a scalpel blade in oil and gently scraping the affected surface, then the ectoparasites are observed under the microscope.
##HOW COULD I HAVE GOTTEN IT FROM YOU?
The mite lives and feeds on the surface of the skin, making furrows and vomiting its excrement, which causes a lot of itching (itching) and is spread directly from skin to skin. Outside our organism it will only live for 3 to 4 days.
The lack of daily personal hygiene, of detergent in the washing of clothes and bath soap, plays the main role of contagion; if this is added to an overcrowded environment of the family group, it increases the risk of contagion.
##HOW I GET IT, IF I CLEAN MYSELF EVERY DAY?
We live the day to day work and the need to make daily purchases, where the purchase of products from the basic basket is obtained through long queues outside of commercial premises, with a climate that does not help us in waiting, is that time is conducive to infection through contact or friction with those who already have the disease. Other places of concentration are schools and barracks. Let's also talk about the big stumbling blocks in urban transport, the seats where we sit, without thinking that a sick person has already used it and that's why scabies is more likely to appear.
This disease is highly contagious. A single family member who has it can spread it to everyone in the home. Another contact would be through so-called fomites (inanimate objects of personal use capable of carrying infectious organisms). When a person uses a sick person's towels, sheets that have mites, use their clothes or share the same bed are factors that increase the chance of infection.
At the primary health care consultation, the cases are received and it is where the prevention is carried out to avoid the family outbreak, with the sanitary education of the transmission of the disease, the doctors must make the visits to the houses of the community where they work and thus locate the factors that influence the homes to do prevention and improve the quality of life, both of the individual and of the family, and, therefore, of the community.
This illness can be repeated if personal cleanliness and laundry are not maintained. The topical medication must be applied correctly. Scabies heals but can come and go and come again.
Educating the community about preventive measures to avoid the disease.
Educational talk about scabies.
Until next time...........
