Scabies..... Yes Mem, it can be treated.

Mite-causing Scabies


Last Friday, 18 Sept 2009, a rather exasperated mother brought in her two children, a girl of 10 and a boy of about 6. She said she had been to see two doctors for the last couple of weeks regarding her daughter's complaint of an itchy skin but the condition had not gone away despite the treatment given and according to her, was getting worse. I noticed that the child was vigorously scratching away.

I took one look at her hands and noted the small nodules in between the webs of her fingers and knew instantly that it was scabies, an itchy skin condition caused by a mite. The previous diagnoses were both recorded as "nonspecific skin problem" and an anti-itchy (calamine) lotion was prescribed on both occasions. This lotion does not kill the mites.

At the corner of my eyes, I saw the brother, standing behind his mother, also scratching his skin. I asked the mother whether the boy was coming for the same complaint as without looking I knew that he had been infected by his sister. The lady replied that yes, he just got it a few days back. He also had the tell-tale lesions of scabies.

I gave an anti-scabies prescription and had also advised the lady to do a spring cleaning of her house, get all those bedsheets and articles of clothing washed in hot water and dry them in the sun to kill all those mites causing scabies. And yes , if the anti-mite lotion is properly applied overnight and proper house cleaning done... the itchy skin condition will go away this time.