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Symptoms of Scabies in Children

Symptoms of scabies in children are easy to detect. Properly identifying scabies can help prevent the spread of this disease. Scabies can be found in daycare centers and schools, but is mostly contracted through prolonged skin contact like hugging. Teaching your children proper sanitation may help stop the spread of scabies.

  1. Scabies

    • Scabies is a contagious skin disease caused by the itch mite. The itch might burrows under the skin which causes severe itching and redness. Itch mites can only be seen with a microscope. Scabies is quite common and not necessarily caused by poor hygiene. It can take four to six weeks after exposure for a rash to develop.

    Identifying Scabies in Children

    • The rash from scabies appears bright red with bumps and blisters. The rash is usually in a specific area. The most common places for a child to have scabies include; the webs between the fingers, the wrists and the backs of the elbows, knees, and around the waist. The rash will also contain burrows that appear in an s-shape. The burrows are often small and difficult to identify.

    Painful Symptoms

    • Besides the red, bumpy rash, your child may be showing other symptoms. Children will scratch and itch in the affected areas. If left untreated, the itch will worsen causing the child to scratch more frequently. Itching caused by scabies is always more intense at night.

    Diagnosis

    • A doctor may be able to diagnose scabies by the rash and symptoms. Another way the pediatrician might diagnose the disease is to take a sample from the rash and look under a microscope for itch mites and eggs. There is also an ink test which involves putting ink on the rash to check for burrows. Burrows may not always be identified because a child's itching may scratch the burrows away.

    Treatment for Scabies

    • Typical treatment for scabies involves applying permethrin cream or lotion to the child's entire body. The scalp and hairline may also need to be treated. The cream is left on for up to twelve hours, and may need to be repeated. All family members that may be infected need to be treated at the same time.

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