4 Scabies Tests At Lakewood Nursing Home Negative: NJDOH (Update)

LAKEWOOD, NJ — Testing on suspected cases of scabies at a nursing home in Lakewood has turned up no positive results, state health department officials said Thursday.

In an update late Thursday afternoon, the state Department of Health said tests conducted on patients and staff at Fountain View Care Center in Lakewood have been negative so far. One patient and three staff members came back negative for scabies, a skin irritation caused by mites burrowing under the skin. There are results pending on three additional suspected cases, said Nicole Kirgan, a spokesperson for the Department of Health.

The state was notified by the Ocean County Health Department on Feb. 8 of a suspected outbreak at the facility. Out of an abundance of caution, the facility said it has taken steps to separate some patients and clean the facility, Kirgan said.

Scabies does not transmit disease, but it is difficult to diagnose, state Epidemiologist Dr. Tina Tan said.

Scabies is caused by an infestation of the skin by the human itch mite, Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis, according to the Centers for Disease Control .

"The microscopic scabies mite burrows into the upper layer of the skin where it lives and lays its eggs. The most common symptoms of scabies are intense itching and a pimple-like skin rash. The scabies mite usually is spread by direct, prolonged, skin-to-skin contact with a person who has scabies," the CDC says.

Scabies occurs worldwide and affects people of all races and social classes. Scabies can spread rapidly under crowded conditions where close body contact is frequent. Institutions such as nursing homes, extended-care facilities, and prisons are often sites of scabies outbreaks.

The CDC says it can take 4 to 8 weeks for a person to develop symptoms after being infested with scabies.

Scabies is prevented by avoiding direct skin-to-skin contact with an infested person or with items such as clothing or bedding used by an infested person.

Scabies treatment usually is recommended for members of the same household, particularly for those who have had prolonged skin-to-skin contact. All household members and other potentially exposed persons should be treated at the same time as the infested person to prevent possible reexposure and reinfestation.

Bedding and clothing worn or used next to the skin anytime during the 3 days before treatment should be machine washed and dried using the hot water and hot dryer cycles or be dry-cleaned. Items that cannot be dry-cleaned or laundered can be disinfested by storing in a closed plastic bag for several days to a week. Scabies mites generally do not survive more than 2 to 3 days away from human skin, the CDC said.

Children and adults usually can return to child care, school, or work the day after treatment.

Rooms used by a patient with crusted scabies should be thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed after use. Environmental disinfestation using pesticide sprays or fogs generally is unnecessary and is discouraged.

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