Griffith University’s senior lecturer and program advisor for the Griffith Graduate Infection Prevention and Control Program, Peta-Anne Zimmerman, has been closely following the recent development of a spike in the ‘NSW scabies outbreak’ Google searches. Her affiliations with esteemed organizations like the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control, the Global Outbreak alert and Response Network, and the Collaborative for the Advancement of Infection Prevention and Control have provided her with the expertise to investigate the situation.
An initial scabies case was reported late July at the Wollongong Hospital located at the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, south of Sydney. The outbreak has since spread to four hospitals in the region, with a total of 11 patients and 23 staff affected.
Scabies are skin infestations caused by a microscopic insect known as the Sarcoptes scabiei mite. The symptoms commonly include an itchy rash, raised bumps or bites, often worsened at night or after a hot shower. The appearance of ‘tracks’ or thin, tiny discolored lines on the skin may also signal this condition. Scabies primarily affects folds of skin like the spaces between fingers, armpits, or the groin area. Moreover, the mite can survive outside the human body for around 48 hours, enabling easy transmission via skin contact, as well as through towels, bedding, and clothes.
Upon suspected scabies detection, getting assessed by a medical professional is recommended. The practitioner may take a skin sample to ensure an accurate identification. Once infected, a patient can transmit the parasite before the symptoms appear – a timeframe that ranges between two and eight weeks. This asymptomatic transmission along with the difficulty in diagnosing scabies makes it a complex infection to contain. Effective treatment, however, involves the application of a special cream or lotion to the entire body, which helps kill the mite and its eggs. Following the treatment, the person is typically considered non-contagious after 24 hours.
Despite robust infection prevention and control protocols in healthcare facilities, managing an outbreak of this nature can be challenging. As preventative measures, the affected health district of Illawarra Shoalhaven has recommended quarantines and protective gear for staff treating infected patients. Infected staff members, on the other hand, must refrain from returning to work until a day after their treatment.
As part of the broad public health response, extensive contact tracing is underway to manage the transmission. However, due to the challenges in diagnosis and determining the incubation period, control over the outbreak might take some time. The key to containment lies in practicing disciplined infection control measures and maintaining high-level surveillance in the affected regions. If you are living in the local area or have visited one of the affected hospitals, it would be wise to monitor any unusual rashes and seek immediate medical attention if symptoms develop.