I have an itchy rash on my arm from wrist to elbow which looks just like a scabies rash. However I have not had any prolonged physical contact with anyone for a long, long time: is scabies really only transmissible through sex?

Not at all, it is spread by simple touch contact. The majority of scabies is seen in children and people in close contact with them such as their parents and teachers!



However beware of self diagnosis of scabies, even doctors and sometimes specialist dermatologists find it difficult to confirm the diagnosis and sometimes a biopsy is the only way to be certain. Many, many years ago, when I was being taught about skin diseases, one of the things i remember being told was, ' scabies looks like everything and everything looks like scabies'.

It is usually prolonged skin contact(families are usually infected together as they are in close proximately all the time), more rarely from clothes,furniture or bedding.



Creams are available from pharmacies to treat this and should be applied per instructions. Clothes ,towels and bed linen require hot washing



The itch you experience is an allergic reaction and can last a week after treatment



It is quite common so don't worry

scabies is a spider (if i remember correctly), you can come in contact with it through any kind of contact, it's quite easy to get. so your better off getting checked by a doctor and getting it treated gefor it spreads or someone else gets it from you.

not a Spider!!!! its skin lice. you have to see a doc about proper treatment or talk to your pharmacists to see if there is any otc for it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scabies




Have a look at the above, scabies not an STI

No not at all. You can catch it from bed sheets and mattresses etc...

before anything... go see a doctor and get treatment