- Scabies are invisible insects in your skin. You can’t see them
- You get them through sex. Or from sheets, a towel or clothing
- Scabies make your whole body itch
- You can get a cream or pills from your doctor. That will make the little insects go away
- Do not have sex until after your treatment
Symptoms
You can’t see scabies yourself. The insects are too small for that. Symptoms you may have:
- Itching, sometimes all over your body
- The itching is worse at night when and when it’s warm
- You can see little burrows on your wrist, between your fingers, in the back of your knees and under your breasts
- Reddish-purple bumps near your penis or vagina
- Sensitive red skin due to scratching
Take an STI test
Do you think you have scabies? If so, you might have other STIs. Get an STI test at the municipal health service (GGD) or at your doctor's office. Then you will know for sure whether you have an STI. And you will get medicine for it right away.
Treatment
You can get a cream or pills from your doctor. You rub it all over your body. After that, it takes two to six weeks for the itching to go away. Didn’t it go away? Then go back to your doctor.
Do you have roommates? Let them use the cream or pills too. Tell people you had sex with in the past two months that you have scabies. They can then monitor whether they develop symptoms. And get treatment immediately.
Read what you can do against scabies at thuisarts.nl (Dutch only)
Working if you have scabies
It is better to take a break from work if you have scabies. Because you can easily give it to someone if you are near them. Wait to have sex until one day after the treatment. And after you have washed your clothes and sheets. After that, you can again.
You you can have long-distance sex. For example, using a web cam. Read about how you can have long-distance sex
Are you going back to work? Make sure the scabies are not in your bed or on your clothes:
- Wash your clothes and sheets at 60 C.
- Put the mattress and your pillow outside
- Do you have clothes you can’t wash? Keep them in a closed plastic bag for three days
Get three free Hepatitis B vaccinations
You can catch Hepatitis B by having sex. Especially if you don’t use a condom. You can get very sick from it. Get vaccinated for free at the municipal health service (GGD). That way, you won’t catch this STI.
