13.5.10

Scabies

One of the most common "illnesses" that makes it way through the Tenwek community is scabies, also known as the "human itch mite".  Basically, it's like lice for your body.  The mites burrow into your skin and like to hang out between the fingers, on the feet, waist, elbows, and other more sensitive areas.


Unfortunately, it has made its rounds through the McCropder community as well.  Two families are currently battling the mites with a vengeance.  This entails washing all clothes, bedding, and towels with hot water and drying them in a dryer on high heat.  Another method is putting items in a closed plastic bag for at least 72 hours.  In order to ensure complete destruction, we (the Cropseys) have gone the extra mile of spraying Doom (Kenyan version of Raid) on mattresses, couches, shoes, and in the dresser drawers.  For personal treatment, the local pharmacy carries "Scabkil" (pronounced with a long "a", of course) which is a very stinky lotion that must be applied three days in a row.  Since a person can be infested for several weeks without any symptoms, the CDC recommends treating all members of the household simultaneously.

Needless to say, the last few days haven't been very pleasant -- constant laundry, itching like mad (especially at night), and lots of time spent applying stinky lotion to small children & adults.  We're hoping that our efforts will be rewarded with at least a few months of freedom from scabies.

May 13th is a big day.  Today, we are celebrating Jason's birthday, our 10-year anniversary, and our last day of Scabkil application!

7 comments:

  1. Happy Anniversary!! Sorry you have the Scabers on your special day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh no! VIRTUAL hugs to all the McCropders.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A day worth commemorating indeed! Jason, Happy Birthday. Jamie Shattenberg & I talked about you the other day when we met for lunch. Hope all's well. Happy Anniversary to the happy couple. And Happy last day of ScabKil to all and to all a good night!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Try ivermectin for scabies... much less cumbersome than the topical stuff and as or more effective depending on the study you read. Repeat the dose after 2 weeks.
    -PRP alum

    ReplyDelete
  5. Don't worry Jess and John. I itch all the time. I've had the symptoms you mentioned here for years now. You just learn to live with it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well, what can you do eh? Glad you're past the treatment. I had to take Escabin once (the hispanic version), and it stunk too. :( Jason, have a wonderful itch-free birthday, and Happy Anniversary Cropsey's!
    j

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sorry about the scabies... it just proves you are getting close enough to the patients and the community! "We" have had it too... pesky things... took us 3 tries to be rid of them. Thanks for your terrific blog! --Rick Sacra (iscripts.blogspot.com)

    ReplyDelete