The medical team from Kapit District Health Office conducting a case detection at Rumah Madau.
KUCHING: A scabies outbreak has occurred at two longhouses in Ulu Sungai Belawi area where as many as 18 residents including babies and children are infected by the disease.
State Health director Datu Dr Zulkifli Jantan told The Borneo Post that these residents of Rumah Madau and Rumah Gilu all had the same symptoms such as vesicles and rashes between fingers and toes, back and inner thigh.
It was also found that some of the patients had secondary infection.
All patients have been given treatment and they have been asked to take care of their personal hygiene as scabies is mainly caused by poor personal hygiene and unclean living environment.
“All the patients have been given treatment by Kapit Health Office and no patients have been admitted to the hospital or clinic nearby,” said Dr Zulkifli.
Scabies is a contagious skin infestation caused by the mite – Sarcoptes Scabiei var. hominis.
Symptoms include rashes and vesicles on the body or certain parts of the body such as between fingers and toes. The rash will cause itchiness and the itch is worse at night.
Dr Zulkifli was informed of the scabies outbreak by The Borneo Post’s journalist who had received information from Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) president Larry Sng through social media postings that there was an outbreak of scabies at Rumah Seliong in Ulu Belawai area.
Upon receiving the information, Dr Zulkifli instructed Kapit District Health Office to send a medical team there to investigate the case. It took the team four hours to reach Ulu Belawai. They first travelled along the Rajang River before turning into Belawai River to get to Ulu Belawai, from where it took 15 minutes of hiking to reach Rumah Seliong.
Upon reaching, the medical team found out that there were other longhouses in the area.
After performing active case detection on the 36 residents of Rumah Seliong, the team found out that there was no case of scabies in the longhouse.
The team then moved to Rumah Madau and Rumah Gilu, the two other longhouses in the area. They found out that many residents of Rumah Madau and one person at Rumah Gilu showed symptoms of scabies. Investigation showed that the disease originated from a primary school student who was a boarder at a packed boarding school when the student returned to his longhouse during the current school holiday.
Apart from giving treatment to those infested, the team also carried out disinfection at the two longhouses with special attention given to the common area (ruai) and the units of scabies patients.
Besides evaluation of cleanliness, the team gave talks on scabies and personal hygiene and showed the residents how to apply medication.