Scabies is an infectious skin condition caused by tiny mites, leading to intense itching and a rash. Scabies can affect anyone; it has nothing to do with poor hygiene. It’s common in household settings with communal living areas. 

Know the symptoms

Scabies symptoms usually develop between 2–6 weeks after exposure (or much sooner if you've had it before). Look out for:

• Intense itching, especially at night.
  
• Red, bumpy rash or tiny burrows between fingers, on wrists, elbows, waistline, or genital area.
  
• Sores or crusting in severe or untreated cases.
• The spots may look red. They are more difficult to see on brown or black skin, but you should be able to feel them. 
• Tiny mites lay eggs in the skin, leaving lines with a dot at one end. 
• The rash can appear anywhere, but is common between the fingers. 
• The rash may then spread and turn into tiny spots. This may look red on white skin. The rash may leave dark spots on the skin. This may look darker than your usual skin colour on brown or black skin. 

The NHS Scabies page has more detailed symptoms and pictures.

What can you do to help now? 

Scabies does need treatment, but recovery is straightforward with the right steps. Here's how to manage it:

1. Contact a pharmacist, doctor or the University Medical Centre to have your diagnosis confirmed. You can also approach an on-line pharmacist if you find that easier, however they will need to complete an on-line consultation with you to confirm diagnosis. Find a pharmacy - NHS helps you locate local pharmacies and safe on-line pharmacies. 

2. Your pharmacist or doctor will recommend a treatment plan and medication. It’s important to follow their instructions carefully and complete the full course as directed. If your treatment is ointment or lotion, then don't forget to apply to the backs of your knees, groin, behind your ears and between fingers and toes as these are areas that are often missed.

3. Inform your close contacts so they can seek treatment. Close contacts need to be treated even if they don’t have symptoms. A close contact includes:

   • anyone you have had sexual contact with in the last 8 weeks
     
   • anyone you share clothing, bedding or towels with
     
   • anyone you have had prolonged skin-to-skin contact with. Casual contact such as a handshake is unlikely to spread scabies

4. Complete a thorough clean:

   • wash all clothing, bedding, and towels at 60°C or higher on the first day of treatment 
     
   • clothing and personal textiles used in the first 24 hours from starting first treatment dose, need to be cleaned as well
     
   • clothing should be tumble dried on a hot cycle for at least 10 minutes immediately following the wash if a hot wash has not been carried out
     
   • items that can’t be washed should be sealed in a plastic bag for at least 3-4 days

5. Avoid close physical contact until treatment is complete. 

Helpful websites   

These websites provide more information on scabies and getting support:

• The NHS have detailed information on Scabies including symptoms, pictures and treatment .
  
• Find a pharmacy - NHS will help you find your nearest pharmacist.

People you can talk to

Scabies needs to be treated, so it’s important you speak to someone who can help.

Your pharmacist or doctor is able to advise you on how to treat scabies effectively.  

The University understands that having scabies can cause you extra medication and laundry costs. If paying for these as a student is causing you financial difficulty, please  consider applying for the University of Bath Financial Support Fund. 

Final thoughts

Anyone can get Scabies, it has nothing to do with poor hygiene and is more common than you think. It is not usually a serious condition but needs to be treated. So, reach out for support from a Pharmacist or Doctor.

This page was written by Student Support in partnership with Bath and North East Somerset Public Health & Prevention.