Timing of sexual intercourse following scabies treatment

Various guidance states that sexual relationships should be avoided until the full-course of scabies treatment has been undertaken:

• patients should be advised to avoid close contact until they and their sexual partners have completed treatment (1)
  
  
• infested individuals should be advised to avoid close physical contact until they and their sexual partners have completed treatment (2)
  
  
• the NHS website states (3):
  • do not have sex or close physical contact until you have completed the full course of treatment

Notes:

• transmission of a single pregnant mite, or of several larvae, suffices to infest another human host (4)
  • in common scabies, this requires intensive skin-to-skin contact of at least 5–10 minutes’ duration, as occurs, for example, in the breastfeeding or cuddling of an infant, sexual intercourse, or the care of nursing-dependent persons

Reference:

1. Salavastru CM, Chosidow O, Boffa MJ, Janier M, Tiplica GS. European guideline for the management of scabies. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2017 Aug;31(8):1248-1253.
2. Monsel G, Chosidow O. Management of scabies. Skin Therapy Lett. 2012 Mar;17(3):1-4.
3. NHS Health A to Z: Scabies.
4. Sunderkötter C, Wohlrab J, Hamm H. Scabies: Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2021 Oct 15;118(41):695-704.