COMMON SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS: PUBIC LICE. SCABIES
Pubic Lice
Every year, millions of people treat themselves for pubic lice. These tiny insects are also called crabs or cooties.
Common Symptoms
• intense itching in the genitals or anus usually begins five days after infestation. Some people don’t itch and don’t know they are infested. People who are insensitive to the itching may experience very heavy infestation before they seek treatment. They may experience: mild fever, run-down feeling, or irritability.
How Pubic Lice Are Spread
• contact with infected bedding, upholstered furniture, clothing, and toilet seats
• intimate and sexual contact
Self-diagnosis: Seen with the naked eye or with a magnifying glass, pubic lice look like tiny crabs. They are pale gray but darken in color when swollen with blood. They attach themselves and their eggs to pubic hair, underarm hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows. Their eggs are white and are deposited in small clumps near the hair roots.
Treatment: Follow the directions on the package insert of an over-the-counter medication. Some of the brands available are Kwell, A-200, NIX, and RID. Repeated head-to-toe applications may be necessary. Pregnant women and infants must use products especially designed for them, like Eurax. Everyone who may have been exposed to pubic lice should be treated at the same time. All bedding, towels, and clothing that may have been exposed should be thoroughly washed or dry-cleaned.
Protection: Limit the number of intimate and sexual contacts.
Scabies
The scabies (SKAY-beez) mite burrows under the skin. It can hardly be seen with the naked eye. It belongs to the same family as the spider. It is not usually sexually transmitted. Schoolchildren often pass it to one another.
Common Symptoms
• intense itching—usually at night
• small bumps or rashes that appear in dirty-looking, small curling lines, especially on the penis, between the fingers, on buttocks, breasts, wrists, thighs, and around the navel
How Scabies Is Spread
• close personal contact
• bedding and clothing
Often, symptoms are not visible. It may take several weeks for them to develop.
Diagnosis: Although people can diagnose themselves, diagnosis is often difficult. Microscopic examination of a skin scraping or biopsy by a clinician may be necessary.
Treatment: Follow the directions on the package insert of an over the-counter medication such as Kwell or Scabene. Repeated neck to-toe applications may be necessary. Everyone who may have been exposed to scabies should be treated at the same time. All bedding, towels, and clothing that may have been exposed should be thoroughly washed or dry-cleaned.
Protection: Limit the number of intimate and sexual contacts.
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