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what do you mean by scabies?

Scabies is caused by a mite (like a tiny insect) called Sarcoptes scabiei. The mite is a parasite, meaning it lives off the host (a human) with no benefit to the host.

Scabies mites are tiny. They have a cream-coloured body, bristles and spines on their back, and four pairs of legs. The female mite is bigger (about 0.4 mm x 0.3 mm) compared with the male (0.2 mm x 0.15 mm). The female mites tunnel into the skin and lay eggs. About 40-50 eggs are laid in the lifetime of a mite. The eggs hatch into larvae after 3-4 days, these then grow into adults within 10-15 days. Less than one in 10 eggs becomes an adult scabies mite.

Most of the symptoms of scabies infestation are due to the immune system response to the mites themselves, their saliva, their eggs or their faeces.

The average number of mites on an infested person is 12. Neglected children with scabies in underprivileged communities may have 100s of mites.