Free risk assessment
Do I have scabies?
Scabies is an intensely itchy skin condition caused by tiny mites that burrow into the skin, spread through prolonged skin-to-skin contact. Answer a few questions about your symptoms and risk factors to see how concerned to be and what to do next. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
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Medically reviewed by Mark Riegel, MD · Updated June 2026
- Curable
- Yes
- permethrin 5% cream (first-line) or oral ivermectin; both are inexpensive generics; repeat dose at day 7–14 required
- Mites in a typical case
- 10–15
- a handful of microscopic mites causes disproportionate misery; crusted scabies can harbour millions
- Symptom onset (first infestation)
- 2–6 weeks
- delay reflects immune sensitization to mite proteins; re-exposure causes itch within 1–4 days
- Treat everyone together
- Same day
- all sexual partners and household members must be treated simultaneously — even if completely symptom-free
Many infections are silent. A low result here doesn't rule scabies out. If you've had a new partner or any concern, testing is the only way to be sure.
About scabies
What is scabies?
Itching that won't quit, and somehow worse the moment you lie down at night? Scabies is worth ruling in or out. It's caused by a microscopic mite that burrows into the top layer of skin to live and lay eggs — and the relentless itch is your body reacting to the mites and their waste, not the mites moving around. It has nothing to do with cleanliness; anyone can get it.
A surprisingly small number of mites — often just 10 to 15 — can cause real misery, and on a first infestation the itch may not start for weeks. That delay matters, because you can pass it on before you feel a thing. A clinician confirms scabies by examining the skin, and the cure is a prescription cream or pills — not an anti-itch product off the shelf, which won't touch the mites.
Screening guidance
Who should get tested for scabies?
Because scabies is often silent, the CDC recommends routine screening for the groups most likely to have it — not just people with symptoms.
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1
You have intense night-time itch with a rash
An itch that flares at night plus a bumpy rash — especially in the finger webs, wrists, waistline, or genitals, sometimes with thin burrow lines — is the classic picture a clinician can read at one visit.
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2
A partner or housemate has scabies or a persistent itchy rash
Close contacts can carry it for weeks before itching starts, so everyone in the household and recent partners should be checked and treated on the same day — the top reason scabies keeps coming back.
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3
You've been in a crowded or outbreak setting
Nursing homes, shelters, dorms, prisons, and childcare settings let scabies move fast — an unexplained itch there is worth a prompt look.
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4
You have HIV or a weakened immune system
Weakened immunity can lead to crusted scabies — a severe, very contagious form with huge mite numbers that may itch less but needs more aggressive treatment.
Timing
When a scabies test is reliable
There's no blood test, swab, or PCR for scabies — it's diagnosed by examining the skin, and if needed a clinician confirms it with a quick scraping or dermoscopy. So don't wait out a 'window': a first infestation takes about 2–6 weeks to itch (and only 1–4 days on a repeat exposure), but you can spread it during that silent stretch. Get seen as soon as symptoms show.
Treat all close and sexual contacts on the same day, even the ones with no symptoms yet — otherwise re-infestation is almost guaranteed.
U.S. data
Scabies in the United States
- 200M+
- people affected globally at any time (WHO estimate)
Good to Know
Scabies questions
Common questions about scabies and scabies testing, answered.
What does scabies feel like?
Intense itching that's worse at night, with a pimple-like rash and sometimes thin, wavy burrow lines — often in the finger webs, wrists, waistline, and genitals. The itch can take weeks to start after a first exposure.
How do you catch scabies?
Through prolonged skin-to-skin contact, which is why it passes between sexual partners and household members, and via shared bedding, towels, or clothing. A quick handshake usually isn't enough.
Does scabies need prescription treatment?
Yes. Over-the-counter anti-itch creams won't cure it — you need a prescription scabicide (like permethrin) or oral ivermectin. All close contacts should be treated at the same time, and bedding and clothing washed hot, even if they have no symptoms yet.
Why do I still itch after treatment?
Itching can continue for a couple of weeks after successful treatment as your skin reacts to dead mites — that's normal and doesn't always mean it failed. If new burrows or bumps appear after several weeks, see a clinician.
What is crusted scabies?
A severe, highly contagious form with thick crusts and huge numbers of mites, usually in people with weakened immune systems or the elderly. It needs prompt specialist treatment and careful contact tracing.
Trust & transparency
How this assessment works
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Grounded in public-health guidance
The questions — and how heavily each answer counts — follow the risk factors and symptoms the CDC and WHO describe for Scabies.
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A risk guide, not a diagnosis
Your answers produce a risk level — how concerned to be — and flag anything that needs urgent care. Only a lab test can confirm or rule out an infection.
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Private by design
It runs in your browser. We never ask for your name, email, or anything that identifies you.
Medically reviewed · Updated
Reviewed by Mark Riegel, MD · Sexual Health Physician · Chief Medical Reviewer
Physician focused on sexual health — STI testing, treatment and prevention — and EasySTD's chief medical reviewer. Owns the condition guides and is the clinical backstop for any page without a more specific specialist. Our editorial guidelines →
Sources & references
7 Sources
Clinical guidance
- CDC — Parasites: Scabies https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/scabies/index.html
- CDC — STI Treatment Guidelines 2021: Ectoparasitic Infections — Scabies https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/scabies.htm
- WHO — Scabies fact sheet https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/scabies
- American Academy of Dermatology — Scabies diagnosis and treatment https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/scabies-overview
Data & references
- Goldust M et al. — Dermoscopy for the diagnosis of scabies (J Dermatol 2012) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22243572/
- Hay RJ et al. — The global burden of skin disease in 2010 — scabies component (J Invest Dermatol 2014) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24166009/
- MedlinePlus — Scabies https://medlineplus.gov/scabies.html
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