Scabies The Official Diagnosis At Geriatric Hospital

The infectious skin disease which has been plaguing some patients at the St. Michael District Hospital, also known as the Geriatric Hospital, Beckles Road, St. Michael, has been officially diagnosed as scabies.

This follows a visit from a dermatologist from the private sector, who was brought in on Monday, to examine the nine patients who were experiencing symptoms for the last two weeks.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. The Most Honourable Kenneth George, made the announcement on Tuesday, at the Pan American Health Organization, during a press briefing.

He explained the diagnosis was partially treated scabies since treatment had already started on the patients who presented with a rash, prior to the dermatologist’s visit.

Scabies is a superficial skin infection caused by a mite which tends to burrow within the dermis, or the upper layers of the skin, and it causes itching. It is contagious or infectious and can be passed from one person to another, and can take two to six weeks to incubate without symptoms. It is also contagious during the incubation period.

However, the Chief Medical Officer assured the public that scabies is not a disease of public health significance, nor is it a disease that health officials expect to have “significant sequelae” or complications from, stating that, at most, “it is very uncomfortable and itchy”.

He pointed out that this was not the first time the St. Michael District Hospital has had to deal with scabies within its patient population, adding that the Geriatric Hospital was susceptible to infections.

Dr. George further explained that while an official diagnosis took some time as they sought out an expert to assess patients, they started treatment because a member of staff who exhibited symptoms went to a private doctor and was diagnosed with scabies. Treatment is usually a single dose which may be repeated, and health authorities are currently exploring two treatment options.

“The public needs to know we will get over this; this is not a cause for major concern or uncertainty,” the CMO said, adding: “This is an uncertain time for the staff of the Geriatric Hospital and they rightfully have concerns but I think if you take general infection control measures and use them well, the likelihood of you contracting [the] disease is small.”

These measures, according to Infection Control Officer at the St. Michael District Hospital, Alvin Hart, include standard precautions for staff such as handwashing, wearing gloves, when necessary, as well as gowns and aprons.

“So if you know a client is complaining of itchy skin, and you know there’s some suspicion that it might be scabies, which is spread by close contact, you would know that when you are managing that client or giving care to that client, the first set of things you would want as a health care provider would be your gloves and a gown because that is how you get it, coming into contact with individuals. So we are doing a lot of that, and we are reinforcing these measures because we are also preparing to transfer to Waterford [St. Michael] as well. So, we have to be looking at all our protocols, and we’re training our staff,” stated Mr. Hart, whose job extends to the other district hospitals on the island.

The Infection Control Officer said the hospital was conducting investigations to discover the source of the scabies infection but added it could have originated from anywhere, including visitors or new admissions. He added that they were employing a combination of standard precautions, as well as transmission-based precautions, to break the chain of infection.

“So for the scabies that we have now, breaking the chain of infection is by treatment and by putting all infection control markers and measures in place,” he said.

Consultant with the Hospital, Dr. Shayna Parris, disclosed that patients who already received treatment were reporting a reduction in the itching associated with the condition.

“And that is reassuring to us, and additional treatments have been prescribed at the recommendation of the dermatologist to alleviate this itching even further; it can persist for a period of up to six weeks. So, we do expect that some patients may have a protracted course. However, we will do everything we can to support them through this process,” she said.

In the meantime, Units 1 and 2, where the affected patients are located, remain off limits to visitors until further notice, while the other units are open for visits.

Author: Melissa Rollock

Publish: June 04, 2025