The majority of the pupils of the Léonard-de-Vinci school in Châtenay-Malabry no longer go to school. Their parents are worried after the occurrence of several cases of scabies.
The holidays have taken a lead in Châtenay-Malabry (Hauts-de-Seine). Most of the pupils of the Léonard-de-Vinci elementary school have deserted the corridors. According to The Parisian, the parents of 117 children refused to take them to school. They fear an epidemic of scabies, despite reassuring words from the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Île-de-France.
In a few days, 23 students of the establishment suffered from severe itching. City doctors diagnose scabies. But the specialists of the ARS, sent there, do not share this opinion.
In reality, only two people suffer from this parasitic disease. One is educated at Léonard-de-Vinci, the other at the Suzanne-Buisson nursery school. “Such rapid contamination is not characteristic of scabies”, explains the ARS, interviewed by The Parisian.
The track of the caterpillars
So, to what to attribute this sharp itching which has plagued the daily life of young patients? According to the parasitologist sent by the ARS, two hypotheses are to be favored.
The first track concerns small insects which regularly invite themselves in the playgrounds. The processionary caterpillars, which descend from trees in spring, are known for their stinging hairs. Children only need to touch them for them to get under the skin, causing itching.
These little animals are particularly irritating from May to July, and very well established in Île-de-France. Their presence was also reported in mid-June. After this alert, the Léonard-de-Vinci school was cleaned from top to bottom.
The doubt persists
The other lead under study, a virus. His name: coxsackie. He is at the origin of hand-foot-mouth syndrome, which occurs during small epidemics in spring and summer. Very contagious, it causes nasal discharge and fever, but also the appearance of small blisters at the ends of the limbs and around the mouth.
The small red spots that appear can then scratch… a bit like the manifestations of scabies. Which could explain the confusion. But the parents of the students were obviously not convinced by these explanations.
The doubt is all the stronger as other schools in the city have been affected: the Jules-Verne school group and the Thomas-Masaryk kindergarten. Again, city doctors diagnosed scabies.
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