Published by the government of Zimbabwe
26 February 2008
Harare — An outbreak of scabies has hit scores of pupils at Mutendi High School in Masvingo. The headmaster of the school, Mr Raymond Muringani, said in an interview the outbreak started a few weeks ago by affecting five pupils before spreading.
"We have an outbreak of scabies at the school and it first affected five pupils. The pupils however, are getting medical attention and we are doing everything we can to ensure that we contain the outbreak," he said. Scabies is an infestation of the skin with the microscopic mite. Infestation is common, found worldwide, and affects people of all races and social classes.
Scabies spreads rapidly under crowded conditions where there is frequent skin-to-skin contact between people. The infestation causes pimple like irritations, burrows or a rash especially the webbing between fingers, the skin folds on the wrists, elbow or knee. This is often accompanied by intense itching especially at night and over most of the body.
Sores caused by scratching can sometimes become infected with bacteria.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
