Scabies is an itchy skin infection that sees outbreaks across the world. It is caused by mites, similar to but much smaller than head lice. These mites burrow under the skin, lay eggs and reproduce, causing an immune response which generates the unpleasant itching associated with the disease.
Outbreaks often occur in institutional settings, such as residential care homes for the elderly. In October 2024, outbreaks around UK university settings were reported in the media. The incubation period for scabies is typically four to six weeks.
This is the time between being infected – a mite getting onto and then under the skin – and a patient showing symptoms such as the classic unpleasant itch. So, the cases reported in October 2024 would have been infected mid to late September, around the time of student arrival at their universities around the country. Given this long incubation period, it can be difficult to prevent and control outbreaks.
The condition can also be difficult to diagnose because the clinical presentation on the skin can be tricky to spot – for example, between the fingers. Transmission is typically by prolonged skin-to-skin contact and sharing contiminated bedding, towels, clothes and soft furnishings where the mites can wait and crawl onto the next person who uses them. Guidance recommends washing bedding, clothes and towels at high temperatures to kill the mites, or if that is not possible then to seal the items inside plastic bags for three to four days.
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