A few days ago a video posted on TikTok went viral in Spain (it already has almost half a million views) for stating that there is a plague of scabies in fitting rooms in Spain. Since the end of the confinement in March May 2020 there has been a boom in cases of scabies or scabies It hasn’t stopped since. In the consultations of Spanish hospitals, more frequently, scabies cases with more cases than pre-pandemic levels, according to the specialized newspaper Redacción Médica. But nothing is further from reality about where the population is.
“We are seeing more cases of scabies than before the pandemic. Since the end of the confinement it has been a continuous boom, we stopped seeing lice, but we began to see many cases of scabies”, details Pablo Ortiz Romero, professor of Dermatology and head of the Dermatology Service at Hospital 12 de Octubre for the aforementioned medium. The contagion continues to occur on contact but not in the fitting rooms.
Wash clothes to avoid scabies
Laundry is a household task that seems easier than it really is. And it is that washing clothes without damaging clothes, that they do not come out wrinkled and eliminating all kinds of stains and odors is not as easy as it seems. To obtain the best results, professionals in the sector have little tricks that manage to make their work easier. A recent investigation, published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology, has revealed the points of the laundry where, if we do not do it correctly, we will increase the risk of infections. To reach their conclusions, the researchers reviewed previously published data on agents and performed a quantitative microbiological risk assessment.
They found many previous investigations where the existence of important pathogens was detected in the fabrics of clothing.
There are even documented outbreaks of infections and parasites such as gonorrhea, hepatitis B, rotavirus… caused by poor handling of clothes in the laundry,
What is scabies?
Scabies, also known as scabies, is a skin disease caused by mites Sarcoptes scabiei. It is a highly contagious pathology and constitutes a frequent dermatosis. Fortunately it is easily treated, so it is not associated with serious complications.
The indicates that the initial and most common symptom of scabies is itching, impossible to control and that worsens during the night.
In addition, from the unbearable itching, small red eruptions also appear, as if they were pimples or small bites. As the disease progresses, scabs or scaling may appear.
The location of these rashes can give a clear clue that we are facing a scabies attack. They usually appear in the folds and crevices of the body. On the elbows, between the fingers, the buttocks, wrists, around the nipples in women and on the penis in men, are some of the favorite places of this mite.
And they also tend “to hide in or on the skin under rings, bracelets, or watch bands,” explain the dermatologists at Fundación Piel Sana.
Where can I get infected?
According to the study by the Carlos III Health Institute, scabies frequently occurs in the form of outbreaks that arise in public health or military institutions. In other words, contagion is more frequent in places of continuous coexistence and the presence of reused beds.
The elderly was the group most affected among hospitalized patients and reported in scabies outbreaks. Furthermore, children and young adults were the most affected according to primary care databases.
Most of the outbreaks occurred in homes and nursing homes; however, the facilities with the most cases per outbreak were military barracks, health care facilities, and nursing homes.
This means that the group of socio-sanitary professionals is one of the most affected by this ectoparasitosis.
How is scabies treated?
The fastest and easiest way to get rid of this annoying mite is the permethrin“a synthetic pyrethroid (insecticide), resembling the natural pyrethroid of certain flowers of the chrysanthemum family, is incorporated into a head-to-toe treatment cream applied at bedtime and washed off at bedtime. the next morning”, detail from the Healthy Skin Foundation.
Dermatology specialists indicate that this cream should be applied to cool and dry skin and should cover the entire body.