Scabies can be easily passed on by close body contact or during sexual contact with someone who has scabies. It’s possible for children to get scabies through close body contact.

The mites which cause scabies can be found in the genital area, on the hands, between the fingers, on the wrists and elbows, underneath the arms, on the abdomen, on the breasts, around the nipples, on the penis and scrotum, on the feet and ankles, and around the buttocks.

The mites can live away from the body for up to 36 hours, so scabies can also be spread by clothing, bedding and towels.

Some people won’t have any visible signs or symptoms, or may not be aware of them. It’s usually 3 to 6 weeks after contact with scabies before signs and symptoms appear, but if you’ve had scabies before, it can take 1 to 3 days.

You might notice:

• Intense itching which may only be noticed at night, or which becomes worse in bed at night or after a hot bath or shower.
• An itchy red rash or tiny spots. Sometimes the diagnosis can be difficult because the rash can look like other itchy conditions, such as eczema.
• Inflammation (pain, redness or soreness) or raw, broken skin in the affected areas – usually caused by scratching.

Scabies mites are tiny and impossible to see with the naked eye. Fine silvery lines are sometimes visible in the skin where mites have burrowed.

Sometimes scabies is noticed during a routine genital or medical examination even if a doctor or nurse isn’t looking for it.

You can only be certain you have scabies if you have a check-up. You can have a check-up as soon as you have signs or symptoms, or if you think you might have been in contact with scabies.

A doctor or nurse can often tell if you have scabies just by looking at the affected areas. They may gently take a skin flake from one of the areas and look at it under a microscope to see if there’s a mite present.

In some cases, treatment will be suggested if scabies is suspected, even if it can’t be confirmed.

See Where can I get a test? If you know you have scabies you can go to a pharmacy for advice and treatment.

If you have scabies, consider getting a sexual health check to make sure you don’t have any sexually transmitted infections – see below for When should I have a test for a sexually transmitted infection?

There are different services you can go to. Choose the one you feel most comfortable with.

A check for scabies can be done at:

• a sexual health clinic or genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic
• a GP surgery
• some contraception clinics and young people’s services

Free online testing services are available in many areas. They can test for some common sexually transmitted infections but they won’t be able to check you for scabies.

Scabies is treated with a special cream or lotion. Treatment from a sexual health service or GP surgery is free, or you can buy treatment from a pharmacy if you’re sure you have scabies and want to self-treat. The doctor, nurse or pharmacist will advise you on what to use.

Everyone in your household, sexual partner(s) and anyone you’ve had close personal contact with should be treated at the same time, even if they don’t have signs or symptoms.

• You apply the cream or lotion usually to the whole body from the chin and ears downwards. This ideally should be left overnight. Some treatments should be rinsed off after 8 to 12 hours, others are left on for 24 hours
• To be effective, treatment needs to be repeated after 7 days
• Wash clothes, bedding and towels in a washing machine on a very hot cycle (60°C or higher) and dry them in a hot dryer to kill the mites and avoid reinfection

Tell the doctor, nurse or pharmacist if you’re pregnant, think you might be, or if you’re breastfeeding. This may affect the treatment you’re given.

There is no evidence that complementary therapies (treatments outside of mainstream healthcare) can cure scabies.

If you use the treatment according to the instructions, it usually works.

Even after successful treatment, the itching or rash may continue for a few weeks. Special tablets (antihistamines) or creams (hydrocortisone) can help ease the itching.

Don’t have vaginal/frontal, anal or oral sex, or any close body contact with anyone until you and your partner(s) have finished the treatment and any follow-up treatment. This is to help prevent you being reinfected or passing the infection on to someone else.

You may need to go back to check the scabies has gone and that you haven’t come into contact with scabies again. If you have any questions, ask the doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

No. And if you delay seeking treatment you may pass it on to someone else.

Sometimes it can be difficult to know where you got scabies from. A check-up can’t tell you how long you’ve had them.

If you feel upset or angry about having scabies and find it difficult to talk to a partner or friends, don’t be afraid to discuss how you feel with the staff at the clinic or GP surgery.

If you have scabies, it’s important that your current sexual partner(s) and any other recent partners are also treated. The staff at the clinic or GP surgery can discuss this with you.

Scabies can be treated while you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will advise you on the right treatment for you.

Permethrin cream is safe to use but if you’re breastfeeding, it will need to be thoroughly washed off the breasts and nipples before any feed and reapplied if necessary.

No. Your fertility won’t be affected by having scabies.

No. Scabies doesn’t cause cervical cancer.

Online services will not be able to check you for scabies.

All check-ups, tests and treatment are free through NHS services.

You’ll have to pay for any treatment that you get directly from a pharmacy.