The more you know about scabies and how the disease is spread, the better equipped you will be to finally put an end to the nightmare. The following are 3 very important scabies facts that all scabies victims should understand.
1. Scabies symptoms can take up to 6 weeks to surface in 1st time victims:
This fact alone may possibly be one of the biggest reasons people struggle to get rid of a scabies infestation. In many cases, when one family member is dealing with scabies symptoms, other family members who don’t show any signs or symptoms mistakenly assume that they haven’t come down with the condition. This can lead to a continuous cycle of reinfestation.
That’s why it is VERY important for all household members, romantic partners, or anyone else who has close, prolonged physical contact with a scabies victim to undergo treatment as well.
2. Your environment can also be a cause of reinfestation:
Any place or item your body has prolonged contact with can potentially harbor scabies mites. Scabies mites can survive off of the body for 3 days. This means your clothing, blankets, mattresses, pillow cases, towels, couches, and even car seats can all hold scabies mites that can potentially crawl back onto your body.
Remember, the first step in scabies treatment is getting a diagnosis from your doctor. Many skin conditions exist that have symptoms very similar to scabies, so it is important that you see your doctor if you think you have contracted scabies.
3. Your pets can be carriers of human scabies:
Mange mites (the type of scabies that targets animals) are not the only form of scabies your pets can carry. Your pets can also carry human scabies mites as well. If you have scabies, you really need to limit your contact with your pets until you are completely treated. Making the mistake of hugging or laying around with your pets while infested with scabies can cause you to continually become reinfested with mites.
Treating scabies consists of more than just killing the mites that are currently on your body. You need to kill them in your environment and be careful to avoid opportunties of reinfestion.
