Google searches for “Scabies outbreak in New South Wales”have soared in recent days following an outbreak of an infectious skin disease in New South Wales.
According to Illawarra Shoalhaven District Health District south of Sydney, the first case was detected at Wollongong Hospital in late July. Since then, no less than 11 patients and 23 staff have been diagnosed with scabies at 4 hospitals in the region.
What is scabies and is this epidemic a cause for concern?
Itchy rash
Scabies is a skin disease attributable to a mite (a kind of microscopic insect) that nests under the skin and lays eggs.
Generally, symptoms appear as an itchy rash, raised lumps, or bites. You might also see “marks” in your skin, which may appear to be thin, positive, raised, or discolored lines.
Scabies most frequently appears in skin folds equivalent to: between the fingersunder the armpit or in the groin area. The itching is generally worse at night or after taking a hot shower.
Scabies can look very similar to other rashes, equivalent to eczema, psoriasis, and even just dry skin. So the neatest thing you can do if you think you may need scabies is to get tested by a health care provider or other healthcare provider. They will give you the chance to higher determine whether it is scabies, and so they can even take a skin sample to discover it.
How does scabies spread?
Scabies is spread through skin-to-skin contact. It can even spread through towels, bedding, and clothing. This is because the mite can survive outside humans for about 48 hours.
After exposure to and transmission of the parasite, it might take two AND eight weeks for symptoms to appear. This is because the mites need time to get into the skin, lay eggs there, and hatch from the eggs, which contributes to the symptoms.
However, you can turn into a source of transmission even before symptoms appear, which is why scabies will be so difficult to control.
Bloom Tomorrow/Shutterstock
Can or not it’s treated?
It is vital not to scratch the scabies. This can spread newborn mites under the skin, meaning a bigger area will be affected. Scratching can even cause secondary bacterial infection.
The excellent news is that scabies will be treated fairly easily once it’s identified. Your doctor will normally recommend cream or lotionwhich are frequently available with no prescription. The cream is generally applied to the whole body (avoiding sensitive areas equivalent to head and neck) once before bed and however about per week later. But follow the product instructions to be used or any directions out of your doctor.
Local treatment kills the mites and eggs, so a one who has had scabies can safely be around other people. 24 hours after initial treatment.
Health authorities or specialists will advise how to manage or treat contacts. However, provided that scabies is so contagious, it is usually really useful that close contacts of known cases also receive treatment, with a single application of a cream or lotion.
If you or someone in your own home has scabies, wash bedding, towels or clothing used in the last 48 hours on a hot wash cycle. If you haven’t got access to a hot wash, an alternative choice is to collect these things in plastic bag and leave it for per week. The mites will die before you can remove them.
Scabies is a reasonably common disease
According to the World Health Organization, no less than 200 million people Scabies occurs at any time throughout the world. Scabies can occur anywhere, but is commonest in areas with high population density.
In some countries it’s an endemic disease. distant communities in Australia, where it mainly affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Occasionally, outbreaks occur in regional and metropolitan areas, as is currently happening in New South Wales.
Epidemic outbreaks can spreads easily in places equivalent to nursing homes, childcare centres, detention centres and prisons where people live or spend time in cramped spaces.
Ground Photo/Shutterstock
What about the outbreak in New South Wales?
Information about how the outbreak began in New South Wales is currently unavailable. Unfortunately, the outbreak has affected hospitals which have strong infection prevention and control procedures.
Healthcare facilities have plans in place to take care of an outbreak of this type of disease if it occurs. Any patient with scabies or suspected of having it would likely be placed on what we call “contact precautions.” This means they are going to have their very own room and toilet, and the staff caring for them may have to take extra protective measures.
It is really useful that any worker with scabies mustn’t return to work until 24 hours after receiving appropriate treatment.
The Illawarra Shoalhaven District Health Authority also said it was taking motion extensive contact tracing to discover individuals who could also be in danger.
But even with rigorous infection prevention and control procedures and a radical public health response, it would likely take time to bring the outbreak under control. This is essentially due to challenges with diagnosis and the time between when an individual is exposed and when symptoms appear.
If you’ve hung out in one of the affected hospitals or live in the area, there isn’t any need to panic. But be careful for any unusual rashes and seek medical attention if symptoms appear.