Education, Featured, Health
By Ejenike Austin
Pharmacist raises alarm on increasing cases of scabies in Surulere
Many Nigerians who have one form of itching on their skin will hardly suspect that they have scabies. However, a concerned Pharmacist, who works in Aguda, Surulere in Lagos has raised an alarm over the increasing cases of scabies he handles on daily basis. For the young Pharmacist, the case is already an epidemic.
The Pharmacist told Realnews that the the level of awareness of the skin infection was low.
According to him, about two to five cases are recorded every two days in Aguda. Then he explained that though some adults have been treated for the skin infection, but that children are mostly affected
“Most patients coming for medications are not even aware of what they are afflicted with and when a patient complains of body irritation for days and that the itching is so bad that when they are scratching it, they would barely mind who is watching them because scratching it gives this feeling of relief. The experience has made us to call it “Sweety”(nickname for scabies) in the area.
However, in a nutshell, scabies is an infestation of the skin by the human itch mite called Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis. The microscopic scabies mite burrows (gains access) into the upper layer of the skin where it lives and lays its eggs.
The most common symptoms of scabies are intense itching and a pimple-like skin rash. The scabies mite is usually spread by direct, prolonged, skin-to-skin contact with a person, who has scabies.
If a person has never had scabies before, symptoms may take as long as 4-6 weeks to manifest. It is important to remember that an infested person can spread scabies during this time, even if the individual does not have the symptoms yet.
In a person who has had scabies before, symptoms usually appear much sooner (1-4 days itching exposure).
The most common signs and symptoms of scabies are intense itchiness (pruritus), especially at night, and a pimple-like (papular) itchy rash. The itching and rash each may affect many parts of the body or may be limited to common sites such as the wrist, elbow, armpit, webbing between the fingers, nipple, waist, belt-line, and buttocks.
The rash also can include tiny blisters (vesicles) and scales. Scratching the rash can cause skin sores and sometimes these sores become infected by bacteria if proper measures are not taken.
The Pharmacist therefore advises that the major approach to the treatment of scabies is to kill the mites and their eggs by applying scabicidal topical creams and manage the infested, including antihistamines which will last for about a week after the mites are dead.
An infected individual should be counseled on preventive measures such as;
- Avoiding close contact with friends and other members of the family who are yet to experience the same symptoms.
- Hot water laundry and dry cleaning on all their clothing items, including the bedspreads
- Take the required drugs for prophylactic reason
Augustine Ekpe, a medical doctor, advised that people should maintain proper
hygiene and that any person who has scabies should wash and iron all his/her clothing and any other personal belongings. He said that individuals should see a physician (a Doctor) as soon as possible to be directed on measures to be taken.
However, he warned that under medication, it can still spread, especially at the early stages of the infection.
-Sep 30, 2019 @13:10 GMT |
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