Sarna/Scabies??

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BluKris

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I don’t' even know where to begin. I recently went to the doctor and was diagnosed with scabies! I have been itching all over my body for FOUR MONTHS and for the life of me I couldn't figure it out. I thought I was allergic to something but as time passed and I tried everything and nothing worked I finally went to the doctor and he broke the news.
Apparently there is a scabies outbreak in DR. After consulting with some of my family friends, they too had experienced scabies having visited within the last year. If you never had scabies before it takes 4-6 weeks for the full on outbreak and you have to get medicated lotion to kill to the little suckers.
I just feel it is my duty to advise visitors. Scabies is contracted from bedding, towels and sharing clothes. Only linens that have been washed in extremely hot water can do away with them. Please be careful because I can assure you it is no fun.
Unfortunately I didn't inquire is there is a shot that you can take before visiting to prevent from getting them, If so, please inform so i can be ready for my next visit.
 

POP Bad Boy

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There are outbreaks in POP.............

..........about 2 times a year and they always have it on the radio.........You can buy a cream Scabisan in all the pharmacies here in POP at least for less than $10 US......and you are more likely to get it from shaking someones hand that has it ! There is no shot to prevent it.
 

MommC

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No shots/vaccination for scabies also known as body lice.
Unfortunately there is a big problem in the DR with this scourge.
Transmitted by infected bedding, beds, cloths, contact with anything cloth based that harbours the eggs.
 

DominicanScotty

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Knowledge of this

Many people know that I work in a correctional facility as a correction officer for 24+ years. All staff is thoroughly trained in this area. We must always be vigilant against these pesky parasites. It is not unusual for a staff member to be infected by these parasites. If discovered quickly they can be wiped out with a lotion and hot shower as well as bagging clothing and then washing them with hot water several times to be certain. If the victim is infected for a lengthy period of time more is involved as in a quarantine period for the victim(s), their clothing, bedding and residence. Cream which kills the adults on the skin is available. However, the eggs must be killed by an oral insectiside called stromectol. The eggs do not have nervous systems and the skin cream only attacks the nervous systems of the adults but does not kill the eggs.

With all due respect to the OP. I do not know where you were when this happened however, lower end hotels and apartments in the Dominican Republic rarely change their bed linens or do a very poor job house keeping and this is usually where many people get infected. However, infection can occur with a hand shake or prolonged body contact with an infected person. Shared clothing or clothing rooms are also areas which infection can occur.

Contrary to what people might believe, the eggs are not found in clothing, linens ect, only the adults are found there. Eggs are hatched inside the host's body and usually reside in the liver. Hence the reason for elevated IGA and EGA counts in the blood system and a lowered immune system and intolerance to toxins. This produces false indications that the victim is allergic to something when in fact they are infected by the parasite. The adults copulate on the host's skin surface and then the female lays the eggs under the skin's surface. The itching sensation is the histamines created from the bi-products of the adults.

Scabies is not an indication that the victim is dirty. Clean people can also be infected by this parasite. Fair skinned people are usually more prone to exposure and darker skinned people do not tend to be infected as often.
 
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BluKris

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Right on the money

DominicanScotty said:
lower end hotels and apartments in the Dominican Republic rarely change their bed linens or do a very poor job house keeping and this is usually where many people get infected. However, infection can occur with a hand shake or prolonged body contact with an infected person. Shared clothing or clothing rooms are also areas which infection can occur.

Contrary to what people might believe, the eggs are not found in clothing, linens ect, only the adults are found there. Eggs are hatched inside the host's body and usually reside in the liver. Hence the reason for elevated IGA and EGA counts in the blood system and a lowered immune system and intolerance to toxins. This produces false indications that the victim is allergic to something when in fact they are infected by the parasite. The adults copulate on the host's skin surface and then the female lays the eggs under the skin's surface. The itching sensation is the histamines created from the bi-products of the adults.

Scabies is not an indication that the victim is dirty. Clean people can also be infected by this parasite.

Thank you for taking the time to give us all that info, greatly appreciated.
 

Mirador

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In the rural communities of Southwestern DR, soap is a luxury commodity (one of my favorite gift items...), even toothbrushes are a rarity (over fifty percent of school children do not own one...), clothing is often shared, and buying used clothes is the norm rather than the exception... So scabies is a common ailment. I first treat my patients to a convincing lecture on the nature of the parasitic infection and related hygiene habits. Then I recommend the thorough washing of all household clothing, including beding. Then, a thorough washing with a common brand of soap with honey, resoaping and without rinsing leaving the soapy suds to dry over the entire body, over night. This is repeated during seven consecutive nights. This treatment has proven infallible.

-
 

macocael

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bluKris dont freak out, Scabies is common. My daughter has gotten it a couple times from her play mates in the campo. Follow the advice here and you will be fine. It can be a serious thing if allowed to get out of hand, though. It is far too prevalent here and leads to serious complications.
 

JRR

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This may sound crazy!

But reading this thread over, is it possible for a pet dog to get these?

For the past few weeks he has been scratching uncontrollably and the vet is not sure what it is. Reading this thread it sounds like a possibilty. He plays at the beach all the time with another dog that lives there, and goes into the ocean to play. But the scratching has been terrible!

Any thoughts? :ermm:

JRR
 

Rocky

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DR1 is amazing

Is there nothing that can't be resolved on this board?
Scotty, that was one heck of an informative post.
Mighty nice of you to take the time to explain it so well.
Now, I'm going to change my sheets....
 
arachnid mite

Dogs definitely can get scabies.

Scabies is an intensely pruritic, highly contagious infestation of the skin by the arachnid mite Sarcoptes scabiei, variety hominis. Originally, scabies was a term used by the Romans to denote any pruritic skin disease. In the 17th century, Giovanni Cosimo Bonomo identified the mite as one cause of scabies. The name S scabiei is derived from the Greek words sarx (the flesh) and koptein (to smite or cut) and the Latin word scabere (to scratch). Today, the term scabies refers to the skin lesions produced by this mite.

Scabies has played an important role in world history, with epidemics partially coinciding with military activities and major social upheavals. Scabies has been recognized as a disease for approximately 2500 years. Historically, it was treated with topical sulfur, a treatment still in use today.

Like syphilis, scabies has come to be known as the great imitator. Its spectrum of clinical manifestations may lead the practitioner to the wrong diagnosis.

The phrase "7-year itch" was first used with reference to persistent, undiagnosed infestations with scabies, not as a movie title.

More here

http://www.emedicine.com/DERM/topic382.htm
 
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JRR

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Thank you for the info!

Hlywud said:

Web site was very informative! Dogs can transfer and they say it is a different type of mite. The part that scared me was the growth in the liver.....I must have been saved by the tall glass of Absolute I drink each night!

Thank you all once again!

JRR
 

DominicanScotty

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And check between those toes too.....

Rocky said:
Is there nothing that can't be resolved on this board?
Scotty, that was one heck of an informative post.
Mighty nice of you to take the time to explain it so well.
Now, I'm going to change my sheets....

hee heeee heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
 

jrzyguy

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this is all very interesting. As on my trip in february i came back with some little marks on my butt (no not from any "contact" lol) that wouldnt stop itching...and they were getting worse. I put mixture of baccetracion (sp) and cortizone (the first to stop any sort of infection and the second to stop teh itching. Whatever it was it cleared up within a week. I dont think it was scabies tho (i got them years ago) are there beach bugs or water bugs that bite? sand fleas etc? i got them on my legs too, but since there area is not as sensative i didnt scratch as much. WEll..they all went away..but this has happened to me before while in DR

THEN...a few days before we left..both me and my travel buddy woke up with blood stains on our sheets (separate apartments)...my first fear was bed bugs. BUt we really inspected and couldnt find any traces.

The place we stay at changes the linens every day...but even the best hotels here in NYC have had problems with these critters.

This all i guess is the risk of traveling anywhere.

2 quick questions. Are small little bite like scabs normal (not scabies or bed bugs). And is there any product one can buy to protect oneself?


My first fear was bed bugs. One morning my travel buddy and i both woke up with blood stains in our beds (separate apartments). BUt i dont think it was bed bugs.
 

Mirador

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jrzyguy said:
....My first fear was bed bugs. One morning my travel buddy and i both woke up with blood stains in our beds (separate apartments). BUt i dont think it was bed bugs.


gnats, ants, mosquitoes... most probably gnats, since for certain skin types their bite tends to bleed (even without scratching) /days after the bite. Gnat population is seasonal, and during certain times of the year are very numerous close to the shore/beach..



-
 

jrzyguy

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Mirador said:
gnats, ants, mosquitoes... most probably gnats, since for certain skin types their bite tends to bleed (even without scratching) /days after the bite. Gnat population is seasonal, and during certain times of the year are very numerous close to the shore/beach..


Thanks mira...that sorta makes sence....cept for the bites on my arse...but it makes sence.
 

rubycatalina

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itchy rashes

medical advice on the internet is free, but a physical exam by a qualified professional is not very expensive in the dr, and most internists and any dermatologist are well acquainted with scabies, and can differentiate from other conditions, ie allergic skin reactions. many of the treatments for scabies such as lindane can be neurotoxic and should be used with caution on children under 5.
as another poster recommended, the bed linen, towels, and sheets should all be washed with very hot water and dried in a dryer or bright sunlight. repeat treatment after 1 week.
i would be surprised if anyone were infected with scabies from a handshake.
 

DominicanScotty

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rubycatalina said:
medical advice on the internet is free, but a physical exam by a qualified professional is not very expensive in the dr, and most internists and any dermatologist are well acquainted with scabies, and can differentiate from other conditions, ie allergic skin reactions. many of the treatments for scabies such as lindane can be neurotoxic and should be used with caution on children under 5.
as another poster recommended, the bed linen, towels, and sheets should all be washed with very hot water and dried in a dryer or bright sunlight. repeat treatment after 1 week.
i would be surprised if anyone were infected with scabies from a handshake.


Scabies parasites congregate in the hand region. Read the website about this parasite to learn more. 24 plus years dealing with this in corrections has taught me this. So please do be surprised but be advised...scabies is passed on from a handshake
 

DominicanScotty

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Personal experience

newuser said:
Can you give us a reference to a reliable medical website that confirms this?
I have read several e-medicine sites and none of them say that scabies or scabie eggs reside in the host's liver.

Thanks


About 10 years ago I was infected with this parasite. I was infected at my job. It was mis-diagnosed for many months and the prolonged amount of time shot my IGA and EGA levels 7 times that of a normal human being. According to my personal doctor this is where (he informed me) where they eggs resided.

I am not a doctor nor am I pretending to be a doctor. However elevated IGA and EGA levels are indicators that the liver is infected by the parasite.

My intention is to HELP the OP and others and not to make medical notations of any kind. Just based on my own countless researches and my doctor's opinion.


I had to edit this and add this on. Hopefully you have never been infected with this. After numerous doctors misdiagnosed me time and time again and my job denied I ever got infected by this in the first place left me with no choice then to find the answers on my own. I went to every doctor known from skin doctors who took pieces of my skin but no answers to Caribbean disease specialists who claimed I must have been infected by something in the Dominican Republic but did not know what!!! My condition worsened. I was diagnosed as a Celiac, someone that is intolerant to wheat borne products. So, for numerous months I ate wheat free products. Do you have any idea how horrible it is to think you are a celiac? I truly feel for these people after I dropped almost 30 lbs. So, while I was itching and scratching, bathing in steroid creams to no avail I did non stop research. I couldn't sleep anyway so I had no choice. The sites I found I did not save. Otherwise I would have a treasure trove of information that would have been useful. I was the one that discovered the drug STROMECTOL (look that up) as an oral insecticide that kills eggs. I informed my doctor to prescribe this. He looked up this drug and was quite enlightened by my findings and made notations in his own notes. He commended me on my hard work. Now I wish to simply pass on what I know from my OWN EXPERIENCES and help others!

I hope that clears your head somewhat.
 
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GringoCArlos

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This is what it says in the Merck Manual:

The impregnated female mite tunnels into the stratum corneum and deposits her eggs along the burrow. The larvae hatch in a few days. Scabies is transmitted readily, often throughout an entire household, by skin-to-skin contact with an infected person (eg, bed partners). Spread by clothing or bedding is a less significant risk.

The initial itching occurs 30 to 40 days after the infestation is acquired. The itching (pruritis) is most intense when the patient is in bed, but this happens with many other itching skin problems. Although the patient may have hundreds of itching papules, often there are less than 10 burrows. The burrow is a fine, wavy, and slightly scaly line a few millimeters to 1 cm long. A tiny mite (0.3 - 0.4 mm long) may be seen at one end of a burrow.

Burrows occur predominantly on the finger webs, on the 'bending' parts of the wrist, about the elbows and axillary folds, about the areolas of the breasts on females, (sounds like a good reason to check out your partners breasts in the light of day, doesn't it?), and about the genitals in males, (same here for the ladies, hehe), along the belt line, and on the lower buttocks (take note jrzyguy) . The face usually remains uninvolved in adults.

The topical medication (scabacide) of choice is permethrin cream 5% because it is safe for all age groups. Lindane cream or lotion was historically used, but should be avoided in young infants and small children. A 5%- 10% sulfur ointment was historically used.

All skin-to-skin contacts (e.g. all social contacts, all family members) should be treated at the same time. Treatment with topical medications is usually effective, and the medication must be applied thoroughly to all skin from the neck down, particularly the finger webs, the genitalia, perianal areas, and toe webs. Medication should remain on the skin for more than 12 hours, preferably 24 hours, and then washed off. Improvement is slow, despite rapid eradication of mites.

****Prednisone 40 mg/day po for 7 days provides prompt relief for itching and prevents "overtreatment dermatitus" caused by repeated application of scabicide by a patient who believes the infestation persists.****

(personal note - there is also a cream available which I have used on itchy sunburns, curiously called "Sarna" made by Stiefel that also stops this kind of intense itching immediately.)

Retreatment is seldom required unless infection is reacquired. It may take 1 to 2 weeks for the itching to subside. Nodular lesions may remain for 1 to 2 months. Bacterial infections may require a systemic antibiotic but often clear spontaneously when the scabies is cured.

Extensive cleaning or fumigating of clothing or bedding is unwarranted because the mite does not live long off the human body.

Hope this helps, and is not overkill.
 
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BluKris

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I'm very greatful for th DR1 community

Well I for one will be buying the STROMECTOL medication. I don't think people can possibly imagine how frustrating it is to have an incontrollable itch that you must hind from everyone outside your home for fear that they will be repulsed at the idea that you are infested with lice and they are transmittable. Where do I begin to explain how bad I feel for infecting my friend because at the time I didn't know what I had so I took no precautions. He tells me that he's cried from the frustration of trying to control himself from itching and giving in. I?m 2nd guessing visiting the country for fear that I am more likely to get the mites. I guess only time will tell, but I will be sure to post my experience with STROMECTOL.
 
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