How Do People Get Scabies?
Scabies is contagious from person to person. Scabies mites are usually transmitted by skin-to-skin contact (especially among family members) and also by sexual partners. Some doctors believe that mites can live as long as 2 to 3 days in clothing, bedding, or dust, making it possible to catch scabies from people who share the same infected bed, linens, or towels. Scabies spreads more easily in crowded conditions — like child-care centers and college dorms — where people tend to be in close contact with each other. It may take up to 4 to 6 weeks after infection for symptoms to appear in a person who’s never had scabies before. In people who have had scabies previously, symptoms may appear in just a few days.
