Cases of 'highly infectious' medieval skin disease surging leaving patients feeling like their flesh is 'crawling'
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image
A woman has spoken of her revulsion after she had contracted a skin disease she thought only medieval soldiers got centuries ago.
There are quite a lot of skin and health issues that can impact the human body, but thankfully, some things are a whole lot prevalent than they used to be thanks to our advancements in sanitation, technology and medicine.
However, now and again, a disease thought to be considerably rare makes a concerning come back.
That is true for a mom from Accrington in Lancashire, in the UK, who discovered she was suffering from an old skin disease that is surging in the country.
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Amanda Rushton said she initially thought the skin issues she was suffering from were simply an allergy, after noticing small bumps on her arms and side.
Eventually, the itching got so bad she said that it felt like her ‘flesh was crawling’ but she continued to put off going to the doctor, hopeful that it would go away. However, a doctor eventually revealed to her that it was actually scabies.
According to the CDC, scabies is caused by a mite that is invisible to the eye.
The CDC said of the disease: “The microscopic scabies mite burrows into the upper layer of the skin where it lives and lays its eggs. Scabies can spread quickly under crowded conditions where close body and skin contact is frequent.
“The most common symptoms of scabies are intense itching and a pimple-like skin rash.”
While many attribute getting scabies to poor hygiene, this isn’t necessarily the case, as it spreads through close contact with the mites.
Scabies outbreaks most commonly occur in places like nursing homes, extended care facilities, detention facilities and childcare faculties.
Speaking of being diagnosed, Rushton said: "I literally recoiled when the doctor told me. I thought that was some archaic disease soldiers got, or people in camps, not normal clean people. [The doctor] said it was rife lately in the UK."
Rushton had reportedly got scabies from her mother, who had been in the hospital.
Dr Tony Banerjee, a GP at HarleyDoc, spoke to the Daily Mail about the prevalence of the skin condition.
He said: “We are seeing a noticeable rise in cases of scabies in Central London at the moment, but also across the UK in general.
The sooner scabies is treated, the better, and the less likely it is that the infection will be passed on to others.
Anti-mite cream is often prescribed, but getting rid of the mites entirely in homes and on clothes can prove to be a difficult and lengthy process.