至尊英语阅读资料之健康与卫生专题第367集.pdfVIP

health articles 367 [9151]Facts about Scabies Treatments Scabies is a skin infection caused by infestation with scabies mites. The mite responsible for causing scabies in humans is called Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis. Although today there arent any effective ways of preventing scabies from occurring, the condition can be easily treated. In the past, people considered that scabies was developed only due to improper hygiene. However, hygiene has nothing to do with the condition; scabies can be developed by anyone, regardless of the level of hygiene. Scabies affects mostly children and elderly people, but it can occur in young adults just as well. The condition is very contagious and it can be easily transmitted through direct contact with an infected person. The mite responsible for causing scabies can live for about 3 days without a human host and it can be contracted by using contaminated objects such as clothing, towels, bed sheets etc. The most common symptoms of scabies are skin inflammation, rash, pustules, blisters and nodules. Some of these symptoms can become severe if the condition is not treated appropriately. Scabies treatment is targeted towards eradicating the infestation with mites. The mites usually find shelter in the less exposed areas of the body, such as the chest, back, armpits, buttocks, genitals, feet, but they can also infest the face or the scalp (particularly in the case of infants and small children). An effective scabies treatment should be able to eradicate the mites in only a few days. If used appropriately, the scabies treatment should be able to destroy the eggs and larvae too. However, although the infestation is eradicated, the symptoms of scabies can persist for as long as a few weeks. Although the mites and larvae are killed by the scabies treatment, their bodies still remain burrowed into the skin, causing further inflammation and rash. The scabies treatment should therefore include local medical creams