All you need to know about scabies in children

Scabies is one of the diseases associated with dirt and lack of hygiene. However, it can be caught at any time, including with good hygiene. Contagious, it can circulate very quickly in children, who have close contact. How to protect yourself from this? What are the symptoms and risks for the child? We take stock with Dr Stéphane Gayet, infectious disease specialist and medical officer at Strasbourg University Hospital. 

Where does scabies come from?

“Scabies is an infectious disease which is caused by the appearance a parasite called a sarcopte. If it is microscopic, it can however be seen with the naked eye using a large magnifying glass, for example, ”explains Dr Stéphane Gayet. This mite that invades our skin is called Sarcoptes scabiei  measures on average 0,4 millimeters. When it parasitizes our epidermis, it will actually dig furrows on our skin to lay its eggs there first. Once hatched, the baby mites will also start to dig furrows, which are called scabious furrows.

What causes scabies disease?

Contrary to popular belief, scabies cannot be caught via animals: “Scabies are only transmitted between human beings. However, animals can also contract mange, but it will be a separate parasite. You should also know that human scabies is a disease that can be caught at any age, and which is present in all areas of the world. », Explains Dr Gayet.

Transmission: how do you catch scabies sarcoptes?

If scabies is a strictly human disease, how is it transmitted? “Scabies are mistakenly thought to be a very contagious disease, which is wrong. For one person to transmit the disease to another, there must have been a prolonged skin-to-skin contact, or skin clothing with another person ”. These prolonged contacts are frequent among the youngest: “Children will tend to be tactile with each other in the schoolyard. There can also be transmission from adult to child through hugs and kisses ”. Does cleanliness play a role in the likelihood of being infected with human scabies? “This is another misconception. You can be spotlessly clean by taking showers every day and still get scabies. On the other hand, a lack of hygiene will increase the presence of parasites on the body. A person who washes will have on average about twenty parasites on his body, while a person who does not wash will have several dozen ”. 

What are the early symptoms of scabies?

“The characteristic symptom of scabies is of course chronic itching (called pruritus), which is more intense at bedtime. Generally, they will be located in specific areas such as the spaces between the fingers or the armpits and around the nipples ”, describes Dr. Stéphane Gayet. They can also be present on the scalp.

Does scabies cause pimples?

By digging furrows under the skin, the sarcopte, a scabies parasite, causes red blisters, visible to the naked eye. These are the pimples that are itchy.

How is scabies and its itching characterized in children?

There is a difference between adults and young children for itchy areas: “The scabies parasite will favor so-called tender areas. Consequently, the face, neck or the soles of the feet are spared in adults. Young children may, on the other hand, have itching in these areas because they have not yet hardened, ”explains Dr Stéphane Gayet. 

How do you know if you have scabies?

If the symptom is therefore unique, it can remain complex to diagnose: “It often happens that the doctor is wrong because the scabies are protean. For example, the itching will cause infected people to scratch, which can lead to skin lesions and eczema, distorting the diagnosis of the disease, ”says Dr Gayet.

Human scabies: what treatments?

The diagnosis has been made, your child has been infected with scabies. How to best react? “When scabies are detected, it is important to treat the infected person, but also those in their family and social circle. In the case of a child, it can be the parents, but also classmates or even the nursery assistant if there is one ”, underlines Dr. Stéphane Gayet.

For the treatment, there are two scenarios: “For adults and children over 15 kg, the main treatment consists of taking ivermectin. This drug has revolutionized the cure of scabies for twenty years. It is taken on average during the ten days following infection. For children under 15 kg, a local treatment, cream or lotion will be used. “. These treatments to put on the skin are in particular permethrin and benzyl benzoate. They are both reimbursed by social security.

How long does scabies live in the tissues? How does she die?

In addition to people infected with scabies, it is also the textiles that will need to be treated: “We must avoid what is called scabies. réinfestation, that is to say a reinfection once cured, by parasites which would still be present in the textiles. It is therefore imperative to treat clothing, underwear, sheets or bath linen. It goes through a machine wash at 60 degrees, in order to eliminate parasites ”. 

Does scabies have long term consequences?

“Scabies is not a disease that will show signs of getting worse. In the long term, there will be no pulmonary or digestive complications in particular. To go further, the body may even gradually adapt to the parasite, and the itching lessens. This is a case that we regularly see in homeless people, for example, ”tempers Dr Stéphane Gayet. Be careful, however, because if scabies do not have serious consequences on infected people, the itching it causes can cause lesions and severe complications : “Skin lesions caused by scratching can be the source of serious bacterial infections such as staphylococci”, warns Dr Gayet.

Can we prevent scabies and its itching?

While it’s easy to treat scabies today, can we reduce our children’s chances of getting it? “It is very complicated to prevent the risk of scabies. Especially in children. Before the age of 10, there is little modesty, and they will be contaminated by the games in the playground. There is always several hundred cases of scabies per year in France », Explains Dr Stéphane Gayet. On the positive side, however, the health crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic will have resulted in a significant reduction in cases of scabies in France, thanks to the introduction of barrier measures.