Several cases of scabies, a skin infection contagious disease which spreads quickly, have been diagnosed in the Franche-Comté region since August 7. A first patient, followed by a dozen others during the week, presented to the geriatrics department of the Montbéliard hospital. At the same time, seven residents of the Claude Pompidou retirement home in Belfort presented symptoms of the disease, which affects around 300 million people worldwide according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The link between these two places has not yet been established. According to Damien Oudot, the communications manager at Montbéliard hospital, “four patients have been identified as carriers, two are suspects and six members of the nursing staff are affected by the parasite. We know that no patient left the hospital for the retirement home, but it is not yet known whether a visitor could have gone from one establishment to another “, he explains to the Parisian.
The establishment takes all the necessary precautions to limit the spread of the disease, caused by the microscopic mite Sarcoptes scabiei, while the patients undergo treatment with Stroméctol. “Scabies are spread primarily by direct skin contact and to a lesser extent by contact with infected clothing and sheets and blankets. Environments in which scabies are most likely to spread include hospitals and child care facilities; overcrowded conditions also favor propagation. The infestation is easily transmitted between sexual partners, “recalls the WHO.
