The number of cases of scabies has doubled among Groningen students

The number of cases of scabies among students in Groningen nearly doubled in three weeks. General practitioners have therefore launched a campaign together with student associations, he writes RTV North.

In the region, according to the knowledge center Nivel, the number of cases of scabies has risen from 36 per 100,000 residents to 66.

In Groningen GP practice Studentarts, photos of red itchy spots on the skin are sent daily. The information is then disseminated in collaboration with student associations to prevent the disease.

Scabies is a contagious skin condition caused by the scabies mite. You can get infected through skin contact for fifteen minutes or by wearing the clothes of someone with scabies.

“It’s a social disease,” says general practitioner Maarten Goedhart of Studentarts against RTV Noord. “I know there are student houses where twenty girls live who watch series every night on the sofa under a blanket. It’s a wonderful path for the scabies mite.”

Scabies is easy to treat with ointment, but it must be applied very precisely. “Then you see that eighteen out of twenty residents of a student house are doing well, and two are doing it grudgingly. Then you have another outbreak a few weeks later,” says Goedhart.

The GGD has seen an increase in the number of scabies cases since 2013. Last November, the number of scabies cases nationwide rose to record highs. The problem is especially great among students.

Last week the Rijnstate hospital in Arnhem announced further measures against the spread of scabies. Several infections have also been detected there.

Patients or employees who suspect they are infected are referred to the dermatologist. Employees and patients who have been in contact with an infected person will be approached by the hospital and possibly treated preventively.