What are parasitic skin infections?
Skin parasites are small insects or worms that burrow into the skin to live there or lay their eggs. There are many types of parasitic skin infections that require clinical care by a physician or other healthcare professional. They include: • Scabies • Lice Scabies What is scabies? Scabies is an infestation of mites (tiny insects) characterized by small red bumps and intense itching. This highly contagious infection often spreads from person to person while they are sleeping together in the same bed or have close personal contact. The itching is caused by the mites burrowing into the skin where they lay eggs that hatch a few days later. Scabies can affect people of all ages. Scabies occurs mostly in children and young adults. What are the symptoms of scabies? It may take between 4 to 6 weeks for a child to develop symptoms of scabies after coming in contact with an infected person. In children younger than 2 years of age, the lesions caused by the mites tend to occur on the head, neck,
