This ancient disease is taking a toll on health care in Britain

A British mother spent nine months battling scabies, a skin disease that is back with a vengeance and defying conventional treatments.

It's an age-old disease that's causing a health scare in the UK

A British mother has spent nine months battling scabies, a skin condition that is relapsing and defying conventional treatments.

Scabies, a skin disease caused by the microscopic scabiei mirroscript, has been a health alarm in England.

Amanda Rushton, a 54-year-old mother from Accrington, Lancashire, took more than nine months to rid herself of the itch mites.At first she thought it was an allergy, but the symptoms quickly escalated: "I felt like my skin was crawling," she says.

The diagnosis was clear: scabies, a highly contagious disease that he contracted after coming into contact with his hospitalized mother.Amanda tried multiple treatments, from permethrin to malathion, without success."It felt like I was always doing laundry. Bags of clothes, isolation, steam... it was a nightmare," she confesses.

The disease is spreading to his children, including his 13-year-old son, who is down with Syndrome."I felt like I was going," he admitted.Finally, after a long period of trial and error, he found relief using Benzylbenzoate, an insecticide sold on the Internet.

Experts such as Dr Tony Banerjee warn that scabies is increasing across Britain, especially in autumn when close contact is intense.In addition, some studies have shown that the mites are developing resistance to conventional treatments, making their eradication difficult.

Amanda, who also lost her mother to sepsis and heart failure, believes the rash contributed to her deteriorating health.Today, she's speaking out to raise awareness: "I wish I had caught it sooner. No one should have to go through this without knowing they're dealing with it."

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