How to treat scabies in children?

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Le Thi Thu Hang - Dermatologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

Today, scabies is still a disease that spreads in families and communities, the disease is caused by scabies children - the scientific name is Sarcoptes scabiei - causing disease. The disease is transmitted mainly by direct skin-to-skin contact, through shared objects such as clothing, blankets... In particular, scabies in children is quite common, which is a form of rash caused by scabies mites. and easily spread in the school environment.

When coming into contact with a carrier through touching, such as hugging, shaking hands... the baby easily gets scabies. In addition, sharing toys at daycare, sharing towels or sleeping on pillows will indirectly create opportunities for scabies to infect the baby's skin.
The disease begins with the main symptom of itching, the itch is little during the day and the itch is very intense at night, causing the child to lose sleep. After itching will appear scattered blisters, also known as scabies, milky white. In the young skin, the scab burrows under the skin, manifesting as a very fine, curved, gray or black line caused by the color of the mite droppings, a few millimeters in size, slightly raised under the skin. closely visible to the naked eye. The location of tunneling scabies is usually in the creases of the fingers, the sides of the fingers, the front of the forearms, the elbows, the armpits, the areola, around the navel, the genitals, the buttocks, the thighs, the groin.

Newborns Scabies can start to show up about 3 to 4 weeks after it's spread and causes things like:
Crying a lot due to discomfort Heels, between fingers and toes, inside Large red rash on wrist or elbow. Toddlers The symptoms of scabies in toddlers are quite similar to those of infants. However, itchiness will also appear on the face, the side of the heel. In addition, children this age are old enough to be able to scratch, which in turn leads to infection on the skin.
Older children Common signs of scabies for children at this age include:
Papules in armpits, groin, scrotum skin Scattered blisters on thin skin such as between fingers, front of wrist, forearm , between the buttocks, inner thighs and genitals. Brown or silver wavy lines running along the inside of the wrist. In children, scabies tunnels often appear on the palms, between the fingers, soles of the feet, genitals, buttocks, and scalp. In addition, there are non-specific symptoms of scabies in children such as: scratches on the skin caused by nails, eczema forming blisters that gather into plaques. If not treated in time, the disease will persist for a long time and may recur.

Scabies in children needs to be treated early to avoid spreading to the community, especially it is necessary to simultaneously treat both caregivers (father, mother, grandparents...).
The drug of choice to treat scabies in most patients is 10% benzoate benzyl. Some doctors will apply it all over the body except the face and head, apply it only once, leave it on for 24 hours after showering and changing clothes. Or apply 2 times 24 hours apart, the drug is 90-95% effective. Or use Elenotol scabecid (trade name lindane), which is applied only once, left for 12 hours and then showered.
However, for children, it is necessary to reduce the application time, if using benzoate de benzyl, do not leave it for longer than 12 hours or use lindane, not more than 6 hours. In neonates, it is necessary to prevent neurotoxicity by benzoate, apply only once and leave for no more than 6 hours and then bathe, for lindane, leave for no more than 4 hours and apply only 1 time.
In addition to the above drugs, for infants, spregal (pyrethrin) can be sprayed on the body and left for 12 hours, non-allergenic, non-toxic but less effective than benzoate, good for babies. In addition to specific medications, it is also necessary to treat itching caused by scabies with topical and oral antihistamines.
5-10% sulfur grease, especially for babies under 2 months old, is very safe, the downside is that it has a bad smell.
Can use black basil bark or dog blood seed oil.

The best prevention is to avoid contact with disease sources, sick children, not sleeping together, not sharing pants, clothes, blankets.
Daily personal hygiene for children with soap, especially in folds such as: between fingers, groin, navel...
If someone in the family or collective is sick, need definitive treatment to avoid spreading.
Doctor Thu Hang has over 10 years of experience in the field of dermatology. Especially experienced in the treatment of adult and pediatric skin diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, autoimmune and rare skin diseases. The doctor has obtained certificates and university degrees at home and abroad such as: Degree I - Dermatology, Hanoi Medical University, DFMS Degree - Dermatology, University of Paris XIII, France before becoming a doctor. dermatology at the Department of Internal Medicine, Vinmec Hai Phong Hospital today.