BABY AND CHILDHOOD SKIN DISORDERS: SCABIES
This is a horrid skin irritation caused by an insect mite called Sarcoptes scabiei, a nasty bit of livestock that lives in the skin. It is virtually impossible to see it with the naked eye. The female burrows into the skin, and thus small translucent lines can sometimes be seen. In the skin she lays her eggs, which soon hatch out to repeat the annoying life cycle.
Scabies causes intense irritation and itch, and often the skin becomes excoriated and damaged from the scratching. For many years the infection was associated with poor hygiene and a low standard of living. Then with modern drugs it seemed to vanish. But in recent times, it has made a comeback, and many cases are now being treated by doctors. It thrives more vigorously on persons whose hygiene is poor. For this reason it is more common in institutions.
The burrows are most commonly found on the skin surface between fingers, in armpits, in the elbow and knee creases and in the groin. It is rare on the face, except in babies who are being breast-fed and whose mother has an infection in the areola (brown area) surrounding the nipples.
Intense itching is the usual symptom, and this is worse when the child is in bed at night and becomes warm. Small, itchy blisters occur, and secondary infection in the scratch marks is common.
A high level of personal hygiene will make the child less likely to contract scabies. It is more probable in those who do not bathe regularly, and in children living in institutions.
Treatment
An enormous number of skin complaints can produce itch. Although it all sounds nice and easy, it is far from it; self-diagnosis is very difficult, and even doctors often have difficulty in establishing the diagnosis.
The tiny burrows of the mite may be difficult to discover. However, once diagnosed, treatment is straightforward and highly effective. The advent of gamma benzene hexachloride a few years ago revolutionized therapy. (This is commercially known as Lorexane 1 per cent cream or lotion, ICI). One thorough application from the head down is usually sufficient and then the same clothing should be worn for 48 hours. This manages to kill most of the insects.
A second application may be needed later on. Some doctors recommend using nightly for 3 nights. If secondary infections are present in the skin, the doctor may order antibiotics. Other applications that have been used include benzyl benzoate emulsion
20-25 per tent (applied morning and night for two days), and mono-sulfiram 25 per cent. Another very effective cream is crotamiton 10 per cent (commercially called Eurax). This is applied once daily to the whole body.
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General Health
- The expiry date is mentioned on each blister. It is different for different batches. The shelf life is 2 years from the date of manufacture and would differ from batch to batch depending on when they were manufactured.
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