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Scabies household treatment — GPhC CRA MCQ

Instant feedback + full explanation. One question, done properly.

HardInfectionsScabies household treatmentGPhC CRA

An adult with scabies applies permethrin correctly tonight. Their asymptomatic partner and two household contacts had prolonged skin contact; one contact plans to wait for itching before treatment. Which advice is correct?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: B — Treat all close contacts simultaneously and repeat the full application after 7 days

Explanation lettering: B = shown as A · C = shown as B · A = shown as C

A waits for clinical disease and uses the wrong repeat interval. B ignores the long incubation period and risks reinfestation. C is correct: close household and sexual contacts should be treated at the same time even if asymptomatic, with correct whole-body application and a second treatment after 7 days. D delays contact treatment for a symptom that may persist after successful eradication. E does not eradicate scabies mites.

Reference: NICE CKS: Scabies. https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/scabies/