Is Scabies An STD?

One of the first things people wonder when they find out they have scabies is – how on earth did I get it?

Because scabies is spread through skin to skin contact, the usual suspects are your kids, your partner, roommates, or even people you play sport with.

And because scabies can often affect the genital area, some people start to wonder, “Is scabies an STD?”

The short answer is: No.

Scabies is not an STD.

STD’s are infections that are spread primarily through sexual contact, such as genital warts, chlamydia, syphilis and herpes.

It is very possible that you will catch scabies without having sex. In fact, scabies is common in babies and young children, which should tell you that scabies is obviously not spread primarily through sexual contact.

So, is scabies an STD? No. However that doesn’t mean it’s not occassionally spread during sexual contact. In fact, one of the most common places people catch scabies is from a sexual partner.

Scabies requires prolonged skin-to-skin contact to spread from one person to another. “Prolonged” does not need to be hours – it can be sitting on a couch with your arm around someone for five minutes, or participating in a seven minute wrestling match. And another time when people have skin to skin contact is during sex.

What does this mean for you?

If you have been diagnosed with scabies, one of the first things you should do is notice any sexual partners you have had in the last four weeks. The four-week time frame is because that is usually the time it takes for symptoms to appear for a first time infestation. It is important that any potential people you have spread it to (or caught it from) are made aware, because every day they go without treatment is another day they have the chance to spread it to someone else. This puts everyone in your community, including your friends, children and family, at risk of catching it. It also increases the chance it will come back around to you after you’ve been treated!

The next thing you need to do is begin treatment. Here at Scabies Home Remedies we have some very thorough guides on treating scabies effectively and safely.

The first article you should read is this one: How To Get Rid Of Scabies: The Ultimate Guide.

This is a full write up of the exact treatment plan I used to kick scabies within a few weeks. It is a combination of natural and prescription treatments, all of which are designed to hit scabies hard and fast before they get out of control.

If you’re partial to natural treatments, you could check out these six natural treatments that have been proven to kill scabies, all backed by real scientific studies.

Good luck!