Isolation Precautions for Scabies and Lice (2024)

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This information explains how isolation precautions are used to prevent the spread of scabies and lice while you’re in the hospital.

Isolation precautions are steps we take to stop infections from spreading from person to person.

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What is scabies?

Scabies is a skin condition that causes very itchy skin and a pimple-like skin rash. It’s caused by tiny mites that burrow into your skin.

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What are lice?

Lice are tiny insects that can be found in the hair on your head and body. Lice can live on your hair, scalp, eyelashes, and pubic area. They survive by feeding on human blood.

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How are scabies and lice spread?

Scabies can be spread by direct skin-to-skin contact with someone who has scabies. Scabies can also be spread by sharing towels, bed sheets, and other personal belongings.

Lice can be spread by close contact with someone who has lice or by contact with their clothing, personal items, or linens.

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How are scabies and lice treated?

Scabies and lice are treated with medication.

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What isolation precautions are taken in the hospital if I have scabies or lice?

If you have scabies or lice while you’re in the hospital:

  • You will be placed in a private room.
  • A sign will be posted on your door telling all staffto take precautions.
    • All staffwill need to clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer before going into and after leaving your room.
    • All staffmust wear a yellow gown and gloves while in your room. These are available outside of your room and can be disposed of inside your room. All staffmust wash their hands after leaving your room.
  • If you leave your room for tests, you must wear a yellow gown and gloves or be covered with a clean sheet.
  • If you leave your room to walk around the unit, you must wear a yellow gown and gloves.
  • You will not be able to go to the following areas of the hospital:
    • Pantry on your unit
    • Recreation center on M15
    • Pediatric recreation areas on M9
    • Cafeteria
    • Main lobby
  • You can have art or massage therapy in your room while following isolation precautions.
  • Your personal items and clothing will be placed in a sealed plastic bag and given to your family. They must be machine washed in hot water and placed in a hot dryer for at least 20 minutes.
  • Any personal belongings that can’t be washed will be placed in a sealed plastic bag and given to your family. They must be kept in the sealed bag for 5 to 7 days.
  • After your treatment is finished, your healthcare provider will tell you when you can stop following these precautions.
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What precautions should I take at home if I have scabies or lice?

  • Don’t share personal items such as clothing, hats, combs, or hair accessories.
  • Machine wash all of your personal items and clothing in hot water and place them in a hot dryer for at least 20 minutes.
  • If your personal items can’t be washed, place them in a sealed plastic bag for 5 to 7 days.
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Where can I get more information about scabies and lice?

If you have any questions, speak with your healthcare provider. You can also visit the following websites for more information:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Information on scabies:
www.cdc.gov/parasites/scabies/gen_info/faqs.html

Information on lice:
www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/gen_info/faqs.html

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If you have questions or concerns, contact your healthcare provider. A member of your care team will answer Monday through Friday from to Outside those hours, you can leave a message or talk with another MSK provider. There is always a doctor or nurse on call. If you’re not sure how to reach your healthcare provider, call

212-639-2000

.

If you have questions or concerns, contact your healthcare provider. A member of your care team will answer Monday through Friday from to Outside those hours, you can leave a message or talk with another MSK provider. There is always a doctor or nurse on call. If you’re not sure how to reach your healthcare provider, call

212-639-2000

.

For more resources, visit www.mskcc.org/pe to search our virtual library.

Isolation Precautions for Scabies and Lice - Last updated on February 8, 2022
All rights owned and reserved by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Isolation Precautions for Scabies and Lice (2024)

FAQs

Isolation Precautions for Scabies and Lice? ›

Direct skin-to-skin contact between a patient with crusted scabies and his/her caretakers and visitors should be eliminated by following strict contact precautions, including the use of protective garments such as gowns, gloves, and shoe covers.

What is the isolation precaution for scabies? ›

Direct skin-to-skin contact between a patient with crusted scabies and his/her caretakers and visitors should be eliminated by following strict contact precautions, including the use of protective garments such as gowns, gloves, and shoe covers.

What are the isolation precautions for lice? ›

Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes. Do not share combs, brushes, or towels. Disinfest combs and brushes used by an infested person by soaking them in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5–10 minutes.

Is scabies airborne or droplet? ›

Scabies is transmitted person-to-person through close skin contact (e.g. living in the same residence) with an infested individual. The risk of transmission increases with the level of infestation, with highest risk due to contact with individuals with crusted scabies.

What precautions should nurses take for scabies? ›

A healthcare worker can return to work the day following overnight treatment with 5% permethrin cream. Gowns and gloves should be worn 2–3 days for direct patient care until all control measures have been completed to prevent re-infestation.

What is the precautionary measure for scabies? ›

Scabies is very contagious and easily spread through skin-to-skin touching. So the only definite way to prevent scabies is to not have close, intimate contact with anyone. Also avoid touching or sharing clothes with people you know are infected, until they finish treatment.

Do you isolate with scabies? ›

It's important to avoid close contact with other people for the first 24 hours. Children under 5 years old can go back to nursery or pre-school 24 hours after the first treatment. Although the treatment kills the scabies mites quickly, the itching can carry on for a few weeks.

Is head lice airborne or droplet? ›

Head to head contact with an infested person is the most common way to get head lice. It is beneficial for the sake of others to share information with school nurses, parents of classmates, and others about contact with head lice. Head lice move by crawling. They cannot hop or fly.

What precautions should you take to prevent lice? ›

Teach children not to share clothing and supplies, such as hats, scarves, helmets, sports uniforms, towels, combs, brushes, bandanas, hair ties, and headphones. Disinfect combs and brushes used by a person with head lice by soaking them in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5 to 10 minutes.

Should you isolate if you have lice? ›

In the past, kids with head lice were kept home from school. But now doctors don't recommend these "no-nit" policies. In most cases, a child who has lice should stay at school until the end of the day, go home and get treatment, and return to school the next day.

What are the CDC guidelines for scabies? ›

Prevention. When a person is infested with scabies mites the first time, symptoms typically take 4 – 8 weeks to develop. However, a person with an infestation can transmit scabies even if they do not have symptoms. To prevent scabies, avoid direct skin-to-skin contact with a person who has scabies.

Does someone with scabies need to quarantine? ›

If you have scabies or are being treated for scabies, do not have close or sexual contact with someone until you finish treatment for scabies. Tell your sexual partners and household members if you have scabies so they can be checked and treated if necessary.

What are the public health guidelines for scabies? ›

Crusted scabies is highly transmissible; however, standard infection control principles and wearing appropriate PPE to avoid skin-to-skin contact should be sufficient to prevent transmission. Isolation of people with crusted scabies is therefore not recommended.

What are the isolation precautions for scabies? ›

Place symptomatic contacts on isolation precautions in their assigned rooms. Restrict contact(s) to their room for the duration of the treatment period (8-12 hours - symptomatic contacts should be considered to have typical scabies). Following bathing to remove the scabicide, precautions can be discontinued.

What precautions should be taken when using permethrin? ›

Keep this medicine away from the eyes. If you accidentally get some in your eyes, flush them thoroughly with water at once. Permethrin lotion which is used to treat lice, comes in a container that holds only one treatment. Use as much of the medicine as you need and discard any remaining lotion properly.

What type of transmission based precaution should a patient with scabies be placed in? ›

Examples of infections/conditions that require contact precautions: Salmonella, scabies, Shigella, and pressure ulcers. In addition to standard precautions: Wear a gown and gloves upon room entry of a patient/resident on contact precautions.

What is the protocol for scabies in the home? ›

How can you care for yourself at home?
  • Use the medicine your doctor recommends or prescribes. ...
  • Wash all clothes, bedding, and towels that you and others in your household used in the 3 days before you started treatment. ...
  • On the day you start treatment, vacuum the room or rooms used by anyone who had scabies.

Is it safe to be around someone with scabies? ›

Scabies is contagious and can spread quickly through close person-to-person contact in a family, child care group, school class, nursing home or prison. Because scabies spreads so easily, health care providers often recommend treating the entire family or any close contacts.

What are contact precautions? ›

Contact precautions are used when a person has a type of bacteria or virus on the skin or in a sore, or elsewhere in the body, such as the intestine, that can be transmitted to someone else if that person touches the infected individual or contaminated surfaces or equipment near the infected individual. Q.

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