Scabies outbreak hits Groningen students – The Northern Times

Groningen students are caught in a battle with an invisible parasitic tick, and a cycle in which quite a few young people contract infections, try treatment, and face relapses of the disease.

The number of scabies cases in the Groningen area increased from 36 to 66 per 100,000 inhabitants. According to polls By Institute Nivelle.

StudentArts general practitioner Maarten Goedhart warns that it is a highly contagious disease and can be spread from person to person through prolonged direct physical contact. “It’s a sociopath. It requires skin-to-skin contact for at least 15 minutes. It’s a great route for the scabies mite to spread,” he says.

Scabies is caused by tiny mites that burrow into the upper layers of the skin where they lay their eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the mites climb onto the surface of the skin and spread to other parts of the body. For months, they can live on bedding and furniture for up to 36 hours.

It first appears as a rash with bumps and pits on the skin. The disease can be transmitted from objects, but is most often transmitted by direct contact, making it nearly impossible to control in a densely populated university environment.

According to Dr. Goedhart, scabies is easy to treat, but treatment is a very complicated process. He stressed that all family members and their close contacts should follow the treatment plan at the same time. The application of the insecticide cream should be timed and should cover the entire body from chin to toe. “If two of the 20 residents he applies topical treatment only sporadically, then in a few weeks there will be another outbreak,” he warns Goedhart.

StudentArts doctors say scabies is a completely harmless infection. There are no health effects other than itching. However, if you notice symptoms of infection, you should see your GP, who will prescribe a scabies ointment.