Students in Dunedin are losing the war on parasitic mites, with a substantial number of young people caught up in a “revolving door” of scabies.

Multiple students living in Dunedin told Stuff they’ve been struggling to get rid of the condition for as long as four months, namely due to improper treatment, despite the University of Otago warning students of the growing problem in June.

The students, who spoke to Stuff under the condition of anonymity, represented more than 30 people from within their flats or close contacts.

“It’s been a big struggle. We didn’t take it seriously... big mistake,” one student said. “It’s way, way worse than having an STD.

“With an STD you can just stop rooting, find whoever you’ve shagged, let it be your rotation’s dirty little secret.”

Scabies is caused by microscopic parasitic mites that like to live in human skin, burrowing into it to lay eggs and leaving excretions which cause a chemical reaction.

That reaction results in an itchy rash which can range from mild, to “near debilitating,” according to another student.

“It’s so hard to tell what you’ve used, what might be infected, if you’ve got them all. There’s been nights I couldn’t sleep at all,” the student said.

Many flats in North Dunedin had five to six tenants, but visitors, sexual partners and other close contacts contributed to the spread if they didn’t know they needed to be treated.

A female student said the last three months had been “a revolving door" of scabies.

She “didn’t even want to think about” how much money had been spent on washing liquid. She said some students would bulk-wash clothes at laundromats, but that was also expensive.

“I’m scared every time I get itchy,” another student said.

“I guess it’s embarrassing because it’s literal bugs, creepy crawlies all over your skin. No-one wants to touch you, don’t want you to come over. It’s kind of funny how scared people are of it when everyone gets chlamydia in Dunedin.”

She said the most frustrating part was not being able to go to parties or into town and “have a hook-up”, which would be “irresponsible”.

She said the flat was oblivious to scabies until the University of Otago emailed students in June.

The email gave instructions on how to treat it. The student said at least one flatmate had been itchy, but they initially didn’t take it seriously.

“We did it [the treatment] quite sporadically. Big mistake.”

University of Otago’s Student Health clinic clinical group leader for nursing Katherine Martin said the treatment was a really involved process.

Skin, clothes and bedding wasn’t the only thing that needed to be treated.

“It includes shoes, furniture... potentially anything you've touched.”

She said all household members and their close contacts needed to follow the treatment plan at the same time, otherwise it would keep circulating.

• Clothes, towels and linen needed to be washed as normal, then ideally put in a dryer for 10 minutes or ironed with a hot iron.
• The mites weren’t small enough to get into mattresses and pillows, but for these and items unsuitable for washing machines, like a dining chair, it was recommended to use fly spray and then avoid for four days.
• Items like a duvet could also be sealed in a plastic bag for four days to starve the mites. Items like shoes could be put in the freezer overnight.

Martin said there had been “substantially more” scabies in the community this year, but it wasn’t an uncommon condition.

“It doesn’t mean people are dirty,” she said. It was possible after years of less social mixing, the itchiness was more noticeable.

People didn’t need to see a medical professional to treat scabies, but she warned the condition was easy to confuse with allergies, fleas and bed bugs.

Scabies symptoms varied, but it was usually associated with track marks on the skin from where the mites burrowed.

“The residual itch throws people off, it could last up to six weeks or more, it doesn’t mean you’ve still got it [scabies],” Martin said.

It comes as students were warned of a case of meningococcal infection in North Dunedin.

One case had been identified as going to the popular Pint Night on Wednesday, October 12.

Martin said they saw one or two cases of the disease over an 18-month period, and it was important for anyone with symptoms – ranging from a headache, fever, joint and muscle pains and sleepiness – to contact a doctor. Symptoms may take up to 10 days to develop.

The risk of infection was low as it required transmission through secretions or close prolonged contact, but the disease was serious, she said.