Scabies is a contagious skin infection which is characterized by intense itching and superficial burrows. This infection is caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei which is not visible through naked eyes but can be seen with the help of a microscope or a magnifying glass.

The mites of scabies are highly sensitive to their environment and outside the host body they live under moist conditions for about 24 to 36 hours. This infection is transmitted by person to person contact which can be through various different ways like shaking hands, sharing towels, sharing bed linens, hugging and even sexual contact. The mites of scabies can also spread to various objects like toilets, keyboards, furniture and many others. Scabies causes rashes on the skin which appear along with red blisters and bump in specific areas of the body like wrist and back of the elbows, webs between fingers, axillary folds, knees, areas around the nipples, buttocks and genital areas. Itching is one of the most common symptoms of this infection which may even be relentless, intense and insidious and gets worsen during nights.

Symptoms of this infection may not appear for around two months even after the infection but during this time, the infected person can spread the disease to others as well. Medication including topical and oral drugs proves to be an effective way of treating this infection.