A scabies outbreak in an inpatient rehabilitation setting.
Crusted scabies
Infection control
Nosocomial transmission
Outbreak
Scabies
Journal
American journal of infection control
ISSN: 1527-3296
Titre abrégé: Am J Infect Control
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 8004854
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
06 2023
06 2023
Historique:
received:
30
07
2022
revised:
03
10
2022
accepted:
04
10
2022
medline:
23
5
2023
pubmed:
17
10
2022
entrez:
16
10
2022
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Scabies is a skin infection transmitted by close person-to-person contact. Crusted scabies is a more severe type which is more contagious. Delayed diagnosis of scabies could lead to an outbreak. The outbreak occurred at a 435-bed academic medical center with 76 inpatient rehabilitation beds. The index patient was incarcerated and admitted to our hospital in February 2022. The patient developed crusted scabies after steroids treatment. The patient was treated with oral ivermectin (200 mcg/kg, maximum dose 15 mg) and topical permethrin 5%. All units were followed for 6 weeks since diagnosis of the index patient. A total of 46 healthcare workers (20 nurses and 26 physical therapists) were exposed. Twenty-nine presented symptoms and were treated with ivermectin and permethrin or only ivermectin. No physicians, other patients, or prison guards were affected. There was no secondary household transmission of those exposed healthcare workers. Scabies is highly contagious in high-risk patients. Early diagnosis and effective infection control are of vital importance.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
Scabies is a skin infection transmitted by close person-to-person contact. Crusted scabies is a more severe type which is more contagious. Delayed diagnosis of scabies could lead to an outbreak.
METHODS
The outbreak occurred at a 435-bed academic medical center with 76 inpatient rehabilitation beds. The index patient was incarcerated and admitted to our hospital in February 2022. The patient developed crusted scabies after steroids treatment.
RESULTS
The patient was treated with oral ivermectin (200 mcg/kg, maximum dose 15 mg) and topical permethrin 5%. All units were followed for 6 weeks since diagnosis of the index patient. A total of 46 healthcare workers (20 nurses and 26 physical therapists) were exposed. Twenty-nine presented symptoms and were treated with ivermectin and permethrin or only ivermectin. No physicians, other patients, or prison guards were affected. There was no secondary household transmission of those exposed healthcare workers.
CONCLUSIONS
Scabies is highly contagious in high-risk patients. Early diagnosis and effective infection control are of vital importance.
Identifiants
pubmed: 36244573
pii: S0196-6553(22)00733-7
doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2022.10.003
pii:
doi:
Substances chimiques
Ivermectin
70288-86-7
Permethrin
509F88P9SZ
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
705-709Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2022 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.