Symptoms and Treatment of Scabies in Children

Scabies is a skin disease caused by Sarcoptes scabiei infestation. Scabies in children can cause very itchy skin and sores due to scratching. This disease is easily transmitted and needs to be treated immediately. Lice that cause scabies or scabies can be transmitted if there is direct contact with the patient's skin, sleeping close to the patient, or using clothes and towels worn by the patient. Therefore, if a child has scabies, all family members must also be examined and treated.

Symptoms of Scabies in Children

When infected, lice that cause scabies will enter the layers of the skin to live and multiply. Dirt, saliva, and eggs that they leave on the skin will cause various allergic symptoms, such as:

• Severe itching that usually worsens at night or after a hot shower. If scratched, will form sores and scabs, and risk of causing bacterial infections in the skin.
• Bumps or blisters on the skin where the lice are hiding.
• Redness and rash appear.
• Scaly or crusty skin.

These symptoms will appear 4-6 weeks after the lice that cause scabies attack the child's skin. In children aged 2 years and over, small scabies bumps usually appear on the hands, between the fingers, wrists, waist, thighs, navel, groin area, and armpits. Whereas in children under the age of 2 years, lumps usually grow on the head, neck, palms, and soles of the feet.

Treating Scabies in Children

If your child shows symptoms of scabies, immediately take it to the doctor to undergo examination and get scabies treatment. To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor will look at your baby's skin condition to find signs of scabies. If necessary, the doctor will examine the skin sample with a microscope to look for lice scabies. If your child is confirmed to suffer from scabies, the doctor will prescribe medication in the form of:

• Creams and lotions containing permethrin, lindane, sulfur, or crotamiton.
• Antihistamine drugs to help relieve itching.
• Ivermectin drug for extensive and severe scabies.
• Antibiotics to treat bacterial infections in your baby's skin.

Treatment of scabies in children takes approximately 4-6 weeks, until the disease is cured and the symptoms disappear. Therefore, Father and Mother need to be patient in treating children with scabies, and do not stop treatment without doctor's advice. In addition to treatment from a doctor, also do the following steps to deal with scabies in children:

• Check with everyone who lives in the same house with the child to see a doctor so they can be treated. This is to prevent scabies from recurring.
• Give your baby a bath within 8-12 hours after he has been given a topical repellent.
• Do not apply the ointment to your eyes, nose and mouth, unless it is recommended by your doctor.
• Wash your child with warm water.
• Wash clothes, towels, dolls, and bedding with hot water (at least at 60 ° C) to kill fleas and eggs. For items that cannot be washed, store them in a freezer or airtight container for several days.
• Iron the clothes, bedding, and towel Little One.
• Dry blankets, pillows, and bolsters for several days in the sun to kill fleas.
• Cut your baby's nails to prevent infections caused by scratching.

If your child still feels itchy after the medicine for scabies in the child has run out, or your baby will get scabies again after treatment, return to the doctor to get treatment again.