The infections occurred in June and July of this year. RTL News spoke to three mothers who were hospitalized with their baby, after which their children were found to have contracted scabies. Two out of three babies now, months later, are still suffering from the skin condition.
Mother-child unit
The infections occurred in the so-called mother-child unit of the Sint Antonius hospital. In this ward, mothers and their babies are treated if psychiatric disorders such as postnatal depression develop following pregnancy or childbirth.
Scabies, officially called scabies, is caused by scabies mites, tiny creatures that look like spiders. They dig tunnels in your skin and lay their eggs there. Due to an allergic skin reaction, severe itching occurs, especially at night. The condition is harmless, but very annoying and contagious.
The parents fight the scabies mite with prescribed ointments and pills, but the disease proves stubborn. You also need to wash your clothes, bedding and towels thoroughly over and over again.
While not a life-threatening condition, the infection has a major impact on young mothers. “It’s destroying my whole family,” one of them says. For a month and a half she has been trying to drive the contagious disease out of her house, without success. “I don’t dare hug my other daughter anymore, because I’m afraid of infecting her”.
Little communication
The outbreak, according to the mothers, started around June of this year, but only came to light at the end of the summer. One of the mothers says her son was initially misdiagnosed. It has only been two months since the first complaints that her son was diagnosed with scabies at another hospital.
Another mother whose son later turned out to be infected had to learn from other patients that an outbreak had occurred: ‘I heard it from other mothers. Then my son was completely covered in the rash and I went to the dermatologist , where it was revealed that he had scabies”.
The mothers are satisfied with the care received during their hospitalization, but believe that the hospital has failed after the infections. “When I call someone from the department, and when I ask to speak to a psychiatrist or a department head, they promise to call back, and then I don’t hear anything,” one said.
Complaints, disputes
On 28 September, months after the first infection, the hospital sent a letter to some of the mothers who had been admitted to the ward in question this summer.
The letter mentions scabies infection and advises patients to get preventative treatment. Two of the three patients RTL Nieuws spoke to did not receive this letter.
At least one of the mothers filed a complaint for expenses incurred and mental damage that she claims to have suffered. This complaint is still pending.
Another mother, whose son is still suffering greatly from the disease, especially wants the child to recover: “I want my son to be treated in the hospital under the supervision of a doctor, so that I know for sure that the condition will disappear.”
Other outbreaks
In recent years, outbreaks of scabs have occurred regularly, especially in student cities.
Outbreaks in hospitals are more common. Last year, for example, some patients and employees of a hospital in Emmen became infected. In 2018, the Juliana Children’s Hospital in The Hague took action after an employee was diagnosed with an infection.
Response hospital
Sint Antonius hospital does not respond to RTL Nieuws’ questions about the epidemic or the lack of communication, but states in a response:
“It is true that we diagnosed scabies in a patient at our hospital at the end of the summer. We then initiated the applicable and customary procedures in consultation with the GGD to check whether she had been present in the house for some time. was initiated immediately to prevent spread and to inform potentially affected patients.”
“We understand that there are questions about this. We are investigating this with internal and external stakeholders. Because we want to do this carefully, it takes some time.”
