(10/01/19) - A case of scabies is confirmed in one mid-Michigan school district.
Davison Community Schools issued a health warning to parents last week.
According to the health department, the skin condition is caused by a microscopic mite. The female mite burrows under the skin, it lays eggs. That's what causes a reaction.
As for spreading, it doesn't happen quickly like through a handshake or a hug. Instead, the contact has to be both prolonged and frequent.
"Say for example, a nurse aid or somebody is holding the nursing home patient, picking them up, moving them, or changing them, there's a lot of contact there. Kids playing with each other, fighting, and a lot of physical interaction. That can cause it," Dr. Uzma Khan said.
Dr. Khan is a family medicine doctor at McLaren Health. She says vulnerable places for spreading are overcrowded areas like schools, daycare, or prisons.
It mostly happens in the skin folds like in the elbows, armpits, or between the fingers. The symptoms may take one or two weeks to show, but the clearest sign of scabies is intense itching, especially at night. The itching will cause a rash with bumps that resemble acne.
Dr. Khan says the treatment is as simple as a prescription lotion, but you have to follow the instructions very carefully.
"For adults, there's a way of application from neck down, all the way to the feet, between the toes, and everywhere. For the babies, including the head and face, so that's important. Then, it has to be applied for about eight hours or so overnight, that's important, and how to get rid of the things that have been potentially contaminated with it, that's important," Dr. Khan said.
Anyone who suspects they have scabies is advised to contact their doctor as soon as possible.