Scabies outbreak at Kettering hospital at more than 80 cases

Kettering Medical Center is undergoing a building-wide decontamination after at least 86 employees at the hospital and one patient were diagnosed and treated for scabies — a contagious skin infestation transmitted by the human itch mite.

The infestation was first detected at the hospital at 3535 Southern Blvd. in Kettering a couple of weeks ago and traced back to single patient, according to hospital officials, who said no other patients had shown symptoms of infection as of Monday. Infected workers, including nurses and other medical staff, were being kept away from the hospital until they were no longer contagious.

Five things to know about scabies:

1. Scabies (pronounced skay-bees), is sometimes referred to as the seven-year itch because it causes intense itching and a pimple-like skin rash, which result from tiny parasites known as itch mites burrowing into the skin to lay eggs, causing an allergic reaction in the host.

2. Scabies is most often spread by prolonged skin-to-skin contact with a person who has scabies and is most commonly transmitted by sexual partners.

3. Scabies is common in hospitals and nursing homes, but the spread of scabies is very uncommon unless those infected have Norwegian scabies, otherwise known as crusted scabies, which is a more severe form of the disease and the type present at Kettering.

4. It usually takes two to six weeks before symptoms occur.

5. A number of medications are available to treat those infected, including permethrin, crotamiton and lindane creams and ivermectin pills. The condition is non-lethal and rarely results in serious illness.

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5 things to know about Kettering hospital scabies outbreak