Night Itching, skin lesions, binding treatments … The worried scabies, but the doctors want to be reassuring: if it is extremely contagious, it remains well known and careful.
Nine caregivers affected after the care of a patient
It all started with the arrival of a patient with the scabies at the Polyclinique Médipôle Saint-Roch, in Cabestany, accompanied by his also infected wife. Despite the usual precautions, nine caregivers contracted the disease in the days that followed.
The director general of the clinic, Fabrice Derbias, told Actu.fr ::
“”A first case of scabs has indeed appeared last Monday in staff. We reacted fairly quickly and implemented all crisis management cells last week (…) All protocols and all hygiene measures To be implemented in this type of situation, organic cleaning, disinfection … were carried out“.
To limit propagation, the establishment has launched a large prevention operation: almost a hundred caregivers must follow a prophylactic treatment, even without symptoms, in order to break the chain of transmission.
The symptoms observed are typical: strong itching, especially at night, and skin lesions on the wrists, fingers and folds of the skin.
A large -scale prevention campaign
The scabies is transmitted by a microscopic mite, Scabiei sarcopteswhich digs furrows under the skin. Contamination is made by prolonged skin contact, but also by linen, bedding or clothes. In community, propagation can be dazzling.
At the polyclinic, the entire linen has been treated, disinfected surfaces and strict instructions given to staff. Declared patients are undergoing drug treatment, while relatives and colleagues in contact must also be taken care of.
The health authorities recall that it is essential to simultaneously treat the infected person and all his close entourage To avoid reinfestations.
What to know about scabies: symptoms, incubation and treatment
Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of True Medical, specifies:
“”Scabies is a disease that can be problematic if it is generalized, recurrence, but this is called precarious disease. It is generally spread in people who live in a home, who do not have access to daily hygiene, and its incubation is several weeks with possible re-infestations. Do not panic, it is not likely to jump on you by crossing a homeless person in the street!“.
Characteristic symptoms are:
- Intense itching, stronger at night;
- Localized lesions on the fingers, wrists, elbows or skin folds.
The treatment is based on theIvermectine or Acaricide creams. But as Dr. Kierzek reminds us:
“”There is more and more resistance, it is true, and re-infestations are possible today. Nevertheless, not enough to panic in France. If you live in an environment where hygiene is normal, it will not happen. It is not like bedbugs, which could spread via the purchase of furniture or in the suitcases “.
Finally, our expert adds practical advice:
“”If you buy second-hand clothes, remember to wash them at 60 °, or close them in a bag with an acaricide sold in pharmacies, or place your bag in the freezer “.
A reminder all the more important in September 2023, a young woman had contracted the scabs after the purchase of shoes infested on vinted.