Experts say transmission of the parasitic infection from person to person occurs through close physical contact, even sexual contact
A college in the South West of England has confirmed the outbreak of a nasty Victorian-era disease. Staff at South Devon College in Paignton, Devon, have alerted parents and carers that a number of students have caught scabies.
The grim condition is caused by a mite which burrows into the skin, causing intense itching due to an allergic reaction to the parasite and it’s waste products. According to the college, seven students have been diagnosed by a medical professional as email alerts have been put out.
The college told Devon Live: “We have been notified of seven confirmed cases of scabies amongst our student community. These cases have been diagnosed by a health professional”.
The UK Health Security Agency said: “Scabies is a parasitic infection of the skin caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei mite, which buries into the skin and causes intense itching and rashes. Transmission from person to person occurs through close physical contact including, but not exclusively, sexual contact.”
Scabies requires treatment to go away, and infections don’t pass with time, and according to experts scabies is not usually a serious condition but it does need to be treated.
Anyone diagnosed with scabies should begin treatment, and all people in their household will also need to be treated at the same time, regardless of whether they have symptoms.
The NHS says: “Scabies is an itchy rash caused by mites. It’s spread through close skin contact, and anyone can get it. It should be treated quickly to stop it spreading.
“Adults and children aged five years or over can go back to work or school as soon as they have started treatment, but it’s important to avoid close contact with other people for the first 24 hours. Children under five years old can go back to nursery or pre-school 24 hours after the first treatment.”
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