A scabies outbreak all begins with a microscopic mite that goes by the name of: Sarcoptes scabiei
They are tiny parasitic bugs that burrow down deep into the skin and live there for weeks. Each female mite produces up to 3 eggs a day, which hatch into full-blown adult mites in about 12 - 14 days. So, you can imagine how many mites you can have in your body within a month's time.
Not a pleasant thought - or experience.
Until recently, it was widely believed that scabies were the result of poor hygiene and unsanitary conditions. Modern science has disproved this theory, and it's now known that anybody can get scabies - no matter how squeaky clean they are.
A scabies infection is highly contagious, so you can get it from a simple handshake with an infected person, having sex, using someone's hand brush, sharing bedsheets and towels, picking up items infested with scabies, or even laying your coat down next to another coat that's infected with scabies.
As you can see, getting scabies is quite easy. Getting rid of them can be an ordeal.
