The mother of a 19 year old teenager told Vísir that her son has been covered in acne and rashes after contracting scabies. As the boy was regularly visiting a tanning salon at the time he became infected she believes he may have contracted it in one of the tanning beds.
The mother wished to remain anonymous as the issue is a sensitive one for her son. She said that the scabies has been a major issue as she had to wash all of her son’s clothes and clean his room from top to bottom. The boy also had to be covered with ointment for a few days.
“At first we just saw a few spots and thought he might have had some kind of allergic reaction but then it was everywhere. It was a horrible time for the boy.” the mother explained. She added that tanning salons need to be more conscious of scabies transmission and that cleaning the tanning beds between customers is not enough.
“Naturally they have to disinfect these tanning beds, the pillows and the glasses people use. It would never occur to me to go tanning again after seeing [what happened to] my son.”
A dermatologist who Vísir referred to said that transmission of scabies via tanning beds is possible but difficult to trace as mites can be transmitted sexually as well as by other means.
The mother said she was aware of other types of transmission, but that it seemed unlikely in her son’s case.
“My son continued going to the tanning salon after his infection, though he did not know he had scabies. It is possible that he passed it on to others without knowing it.”
Ása Atladóttir with the Directorate of Health told Vísir that it was extremely important for anyone showing symptoms of scabies to seek treatment immediately.
“This is something that does not get better on its own but rather needs treatment. Those who show symptoms of infection need to see their doctor for a prescription to ensure the infection does not spread.”