Scabies is back in Switzerland – 7 points on the contagious disease

Scabies – the scratchy name alone suggests it’s a disease. The skin disease is caused by a small parasite: the itch mite.

The disease was no longer an issue in Switzerland for a long time, but now new cases have emerged. Some cases of scabies are on the rise in some federal asylum centers and schools, as SRF reports. There are no exact figures on the spread, as scabies is not one of the infectious diseases that must be reported in Switzerland.

The scab in seven points:

Scabies, known locally as scabies, is a contagious skin disease caused by tiny parasites. The parasites, the itchy mites, are between 0.3 and 0.5 millimeters in size and can therefore hardly be seen with the naked eye or only as a small speck. The animals live in the top layer of human skin and lay their eggs there. This causes a skin rash in humans, which becomes noticeable with itching.

The contagious disease is transmitted through close physical contact. The female mites jump from one host to another to lay their eggs. Scabies is often transmitted during sexual intercourse.

The mites can survive in bedding and clothing for about two days. However, transmission through clothing or shared bedding is quite rare.

Scabies mites prefer areas of the body with a high body temperature and a thin horny layer, such as the wrist, kneecap, navel or genitals. The infection itself is asymptomatic. Symptoms usually do not appear until two to five weeks after infection. Symptoms include:

As a result, those affected often scratch until they bleed.

Scabies is annoying but not dangerous. But the problem: if scabies is not treated, the disease usually does not go away on its own – and can therefore spread further and further.

The infectious disease is treatable with medication. The mites and the eggs can be killed with a cream or tablets.

Scabies is often associated with unsanitary conditions. But an infestation of itch mites isn’t necessarily related to poor hygiene. The disease usually spreads where many people gather, such as in nursing homes, schools, kindergartens or in asylum centers.

“Current cases are directly related to asylum seekers,” Samuel Wyss, spokesman for the Secretariat of State for Migration (SEM), told SRF. The refugees often became infected with scabies in refugee camps. The outbreak does not pose any risk to the population.

(cst)