My lodger has scabies- where from??

[PetLover]

My lodger moved in 2 weeks ago. About 4 days into his stay, he started to complain about insect bites. Hes been getting them on his arms, legs, torso and maybe other places he hasn't told me about! First he said it was bed bugs so we treated the matress and changed all the bedding etc. The problem has gone on so I sent him to the doctor and hes ben diagnosed with scabies. He thinks that he got it from the mattress but as the only other people to sleep in that bed before him was me and my husband I really can't see how he the mites could have got there! Also, can the mites survive for long periods dormant? No one has used that bed for about 6 months and all the bedding was freshly washed etc from the day before he arrived. Where on earth have these mites come from!!Do we need to buy him a new mattress? We have been washing the bedding and his clothes as hot as possible and he has some stuff from the chemist to kill them off.I have to add in his defense that he is a clean and tidy young professional lodging with me while he studies English. He is horrified at the diagnosis! I think you are right - he has arrived with the mites. He was on holiday in Italy before so maybe he picked them up them...Thanks for all the tips! He is being treated and we are washing everything thoroughly!

[Mumknowsbest]

The question is, where was he sleeping before he moved into your house??

[fairycakes]

You get scabies from physical contact, EG, holding hands with someone who has scabies in the folds between their fingers. I do not think you need to buy a new mattress. Wash bedding, clothing and towels regularly though. And the person should not go to work/college/uni[etc] until a day after treatment.

[Su John]

Scabies is really contagious. He could have got them from anywhere. If your mattress was clean he may have used a towel which carried the mites. They can lay dormant for a few weeks. We had a girl when I was in the Army with it and they had to destroy the bedding/mattress etc and boil wash any towels etc that she had used. I would look on google too for more info. I hope you get it sorted out. Its a bit like nits, they like clean people.

[Tina N]

Mites are highly contagious and can spread through the simple shaking of a hand. I treated my mites a year ago and my dermatologist informed me that they can survive approximately 24 hours when not on a host. However, because of their highly infectious nature, it is not logical to determine its source. To ensure it won't spread, the primary concern is that all the people living in the household are treated all at the same time, even those without symptoms, because mites and their eggs live the longest on hosts. Although it is a good precaution, cleaning the house is secondary, since they won't survive more than 24 hours not on a host.

[cheeky]

You can only catch scabies from another person so he's probably brought them with him.If i were you i would get checked out as they are very contagious.

[sensual one]

What is scabies?Scabies is a skin condition caused by a mite (like a tiny insect) called Sarcoptes scabiei. The female mites tunnel into the skin and lay eggs. The eggs hatch into mites after a few days. Most of the symptoms are due to a skin reaction to the mites. Scabies is common. In the UK, about 1 in 1,000 people develop scabies each month.How do you get scabies?You need close skin-to-skin contact with an infected person to catch scabies. Most cases are probably caught from holding hands with an infected person. The hand is the most common site to be first affected. Close skin-to-skin contact when having sex is another common way of passing on the mite. The skin-to-skin contact needs to be for a reasonable time to catch the mite. Therefore, you are unlikely to catch scabies from an infected person by casual short contact such as a handshake or a hug. The mites live in skin but die after a short time if they are away from the skin. Therefore, you are unlikely to catch scabies from bedding, towels, etc, unless you use them immediately after being used by someone with scabies. However, to play safe, it is best to treat bedding, towels, etc, as described later on.Sometimes outbreaks of scabies occur in nurseries, residential homes, etc, where people are in regular close contact.Who should be treated?Scabies will persist indefinitely if not treated. Treatment is needed for:Anybody who has scabies AND ... All household members, close contacts, and sleeping / sexual partners of the affected person - even if they have no symptoms. This is because it can take up to six weeks to develop symptoms after you become infected. Close contacts may be infected, but have no symptoms, and may pass on the mite. Note: everyone who is treated should be treated at the same time - that is, on the same day.What is the treatment for scabies?Scabies is curable. The usual treatment is with permethrin 5% dermal cream. Permethrin is an insecticide that kills the mites. If permethrin cannot be used, an alternative is to use a lotion called malathion 0.5% aqueous liquid. (For example, some people may be allergic to permethrin.) You can buy both of these products from pharmacies. You can also get them on prescription. They are easy to apply and normally work well if used properly. Re-apply the same treatment seven days after the first application. This helps to make sure that all the mites are killed.The following is a general guide about treatment which gives tips for success.You need to treat all the skin of your body (including the back, soles of the feet, between fingers and toes, under fingernails, scalp, neck, face, ears, and genitals). This may be different from what is said on the the package information. The package may say to only apply from the neck down for adults. However, national guidelines recommend that all the skin is treated. Pay special attention to the areas where mite burrows most commonly occur. That is, the front of the wrists and elbows, beneath the breasts, the armpits, and around the nipples in women. An adult needs at least 30g of cream or 100ml of lotion to cover the whole body. So, for two applications you will need at least 60g of cream or 200ml of lotion per adult. Apply cream or lotion to cool dry skin (not after a hot bath). The cream or lotion should be left on for the full recommended time. This time can vary depending on which one you use. For example, it is 8-12 hours for permethrin cream and 24 hours for malathion lotion. Children should stay off school until the first application of treatment has been completed. If you wash your hands or any other part of your body during the treatment period, you should re-apply the cream or lotion to the washed areas. Breastfeeding mothers should wash off the lotion or cream from the nipples before breastfeeding, and re-apply treatment after the feed. Put mittens on babies to stop them licking the cream or lotion off their hands. Clothes, towels, and bed linen should be machine washed at 50 degrees Celsius (50°C) or above after the first application of treatment. This kills any mites that may be present. Keep any items of clothing that cannot be washed in plastic bags for at least 72 hours to contain the mites until they die. An alternative option to kill any mites on clothes and linen are: ironing the item with a hot iron, dry cleaning, or putting items in a dryer on the hot cycle for 10-30 minutes. It is not necessary to fumigate living areas or furniture, or to treat pets. Some people who develop a secondary skin infection may also need antibiotics. See a doctor if the itch persists longer than 2-3 weeks after treatment. Sometimes the first treatment does not work, and a different one is then needed. However, the common reasons why treatment fails, or for scabies to recur, are:the cream or lotion is not put on correctly for the full time, or a close contact is not treated at the same time, and the infection is passed back. Note: you will still be itchy for a while after successful treatmentIt is normal to take up to 2-3 weeks (and sometimes up to six weeks) for the itch to go completely after the mites have been killed by treatment. Also, even after successful treatment, in a small number of cases there remains some itchy brownish red lumps (nodules) up to 2cm in diameter. If these remain they most commonly occur on the genitals and arm pits. These lumps are not infectious or mean that the mite is still present. They occur in some cases as a prolonged skin reaction to the scabies mite. If they occur they usually go within three months, but occasionally last up to one year.Treatment for itchWhile waiting for the itch to go after killing the mites, you may wish to try something to ease the itch. A pharmacist can advise. Options include the following:Crotamiton cream or lotion has soothing qualities and may help to relieve itch. Apply crotamiton 2-3 times a day (but only once a day for children under three years old). Hydrocortisone cream. This is a mild steroid cream that may ease any inflammation and help ease itch. An antihistamine medicine that makes you drowsy such as chlorphenamine. This does not ease the itch directly, but can help you to sleep if itching is a problem at night (particularly for children).

[Elric the enchanter]

How do you get scabies?You need close skin-to-skin contact with an infected person to catch scabies. Most cases are probably caught from holding hands with an infected person. The hand is the most common site to be first affected. Close skin-to-skin contact when having sex is another common way of passing on the mite. The skin-to-skin contact needs to be for a reasonable time to catch the mite. Therefore, you are unlikely to catch scabies from an infected person by casual short contact such as a handshake or a hug. The mites live in skin but die after a short time if they are away from the skin. Therefore, you are unlikely to catch scabies from bedding, towels, etc, unless you use them immediately after being used by someone with scabies. However, to play safe, it is best to treat bedding, towels, etc, as described later on.Sometimes outbreaks of scabies occur in nurseries, residential homes, etc, where people are in regular close contact.

www.patient.co.uk (http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068817/)

[Pagan Dan]

It's more important to consider where the scabies are going, as opposed to where they came from.Did the doctor give your lodger any medication, and is he taking it? There is no point in treating the bedding unless the human host is also getting treated.

[srracvuee]

your lodger had the scabies when he arrived We used to treat them in 2 days in the army a paint down with Benzyl Benzoate//stings like hell but a good shower after two days and all gone they come around by contact with person already having scabies You need to get all the bedclothes fumigated but not always neccesary! but sheets yes