Jun 20, 2011 – "What Is Things You Should Not Do, Alex"
QUESTION:
In the past two weeks I've had three different customers ask what products they could use to treat for "Scabies". I always thought that was a medical condition that needs to be treated with ointment to affected people, but on the other hand are they not considered mites?
ANSWER:
You are correct on both counts Chris - they are mites and they are treated only by medications prescribed or suggested by a physician, and there is absolutely no role for the pest control technician to be involved with. I personally believe that "scabies" may also be highly over-diagnosed by physicians. On too many cases where people were diagnosed with this problem they told me that the doctor made his diagnosis based solely on his visual examination of the skin, and took no skin scrapings to examine under a microscope. These mites are microscopic, and from what I have learned the verification that it is mites causing the skin problems relies on a microscope and skin samples from the affected places.
Scabies mites (Sarcoptes scabiei) also cause this condition that may be called mange or itch mites. They are passed from person to person ONLY by direct contact with another person with the problem or by wearing clothing worn by an infected person, and this would have to be immediately after that other person had it on. The mites also could transfer onto other fabrics such as bed linens or backs of couches, etc., and get onto another person who shares that furniture. As the CDC puts it "the scabies mite usually is spread by direct, prolonged, skin to skin contact with a person who has scabies". The mites do not get off people and crawl around the floor or on furniture. They cannot survive more than 48-72 hours off a person or infected animal. Treatment, in addition to the medications applied to the skin, should include laundering of all clothing and fabrics worn or touched by an infected person, but the CDC also states that pesticide applications to the home are unnecessary and accomplish nothing. This is a good website (CDC) that these customers of yours should read and perhaps would believe, since it is an unbiased and responsible source of information. You can access it at http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/scabies/gen_info/faqs.html#life
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
In the past two weeks I've had three different customers ask what products they could use to treat for "Scabies". I always thought that was a medical condition that needs to be treated with ointment to affected people, but on the other hand are they not considered mites?
ANSWER:
You are correct on both counts Chris - they are mites and they are treated only by medications prescribed or suggested by a physician, and there is absolutely no role for the pest control technician to be involved with. I personally believe that "scabies" may also be highly over-diagnosed by physicians. On too many cases where people were diagnosed with this problem they told me that the doctor made his diagnosis based solely on his visual examination of the skin, and took no skin scrapings to examine under a microscope. These mites are microscopic, and from what I have learned the verification that it is mites causing the skin problems relies on a microscope and skin samples from the affected places.
Scabies mites (Sarcoptes scabiei) also cause this condition that may be called mange or itch mites. They are passed from person to person ONLY by direct contact with another person with the problem or by wearing clothing worn by an infected person, and this would have to be immediately after that other person had it on. The mites also could transfer onto other fabrics such as bed linens or backs of couches, etc., and get onto another person who shares that furniture. As the CDC puts it "the scabies mite usually is spread by direct, prolonged, skin to skin contact with a person who has scabies". The mites do not get off people and crawl around the floor or on furniture. They cannot survive more than 48-72 hours off a person or infected animal. Treatment, in addition to the medications applied to the skin, should include laundering of all clothing and fabrics worn or touched by an infected person, but the CDC also states that pesticide applications to the home are unnecessary and accomplish nothing. This is a good website (CDC) that these customers of yours should read and perhaps would believe, since it is an unbiased and responsible source of information. You can access it at http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/scabies/gen_info/faqs.html#life
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
