Scabies
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), scabies is an infectious skin disease caused by a nearly invisible mite. The scabies mites are transmitted by direct contact, thus they quickly spread in close quarters, such as nursing homes or hospice facilities. Mites and their eggs remain on clothing, towels, and bed linens and usually cannot be visibly detected without magnification. Contact with clothing, bedding, or personal items of the infected person can lead to an incursion of mites.
Symptoms
The female mite digs into the skin and lays its eggs. The eggs will hatch in three to four days. The mites mature in about ten days, and then start to breed to propagate the parasite. The main symptom is severe itching in the infected areas, which is more acute at night and after a hot bath. Fortunately, scabies typically do not affect the head and face regions. The most common areas of infestation include the wrists, armpits, abdomen, elbows, and in the pubic areas. A rash develops at the point where the mite penetrates the skin. Blisters may develop if the infected person has allergic reactions to the parasites.
Treatment
Elderly people are typically more vulnerable to contact scabies due to diminished immune systems. Once a diagnosis is made, scabies mites are somewhat easy to eradicate using a prescription Scabicide lotion or topical cream, which kills the mites and their eggs. This medicinal cream is most commonly applied following a hot bath.
Mite & egg eradication
The infected person's clothing, towels, washcloths, bed linens, and pillowcases, should be washed separately from those of their family members or other nursing home residents. The items must be boiled in hot water to kill the mites and the eggs. All personal items that not washable, such as shoes should be wrapped in plastic for at least fourteen days before reusing. All direct care workers will need to wear gloves and wash their hands frequently to avoid becoming infected.
Prevalence
As more seniors move into assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, the close living conditions establishes a perfect environment for scabies mites to flourish and spread. Scabies is a global problem with an estimated 300-million cases each year.
Environmental service's staff and direct care workers must remain vigilant in washing their hands and in changing uniforms after handling scabies patients. If preventive measures are not observed, the outbreak can become time-consuming and create a costly and complex eradication process.
Kenneth W. Hallcom, Ph.D.
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