Scabies is an itchy rash caused by mites. It is spread through close skin contact, and anyone can get it. It should be treated quickly to stop it spreading.

"The incidence of scabies across Europe has been spiraling upwards for several years. Scabies and lice have not disappeared from the world. Neither have the bedbugs that were in Paris recently. These are issues of severe overpopulation," family doctor Piret Rospu told "Terevision" on Thursday.

"In the UK, where there is also a problem with scabies, the problem is thought to be due to a lack of medicines," said Rospu.

"If one person is diagnosed with scabies, the whole family needs to be treated. And if it's a large family, the pile of drugs that have to be used to treat one family is wild. An additional point is that scabies do not want to go away with treatment. Maybe we have been using one medication for long enough for them to become immune. There's not much more permethrin can do, but good old sulphur ointment works well," the doctor said.

"Scabies does not spread by social class, you cannot tell who has it by looking at their face," said Rospu.

More information about symptoms and treatment can be read in English on the City of Helsinki website.

University Hospital recently said the capital region was in the midst of a scabies epidemic, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported.

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