Quang Ngai: Scabies outbreak in highlands

Notably, there are many children, including children under 1 year old.

The first case was detected on March 8. Then, on March 16, Tra Bui Commune Health Station detected 19 more cases of the disease in Tang village and reported it to Tra Bong District Health Center. "Up to now, 19 patients have stabilized, 124 patients are still being treated. The scabies situation in Tang village, Tra Bui commune is still complicated, making people worried" - Mr. Nam informed.

Mr. Dinh Van Dong, Head of Tra Bui Commune Health Station, said that Tang village is a remote and extremely disadvantaged village in Tra Bong district, located about 10 km from the Commune Health Station and about 35 km from the District Health Center. Transportation from the Commune Health Station to the village is very difficult, requiring many hours of walking. In the village, there are 66 households and 282 people, over 98% of whom are ethnic minorities, so the people's disease prevention work is still limited.

"The lives of people in Tang village are currently difficult, with poor hygiene and food conditions, so when someone gets sick, the disease spreads very quickly. The commune health station is continuing to monitor and provide medicine for scabies patients in Tang village. After 5 monitoring sessions, the scabies situation has decreased by about 20% - 30%," said Mr. Dong.

Quảng Ngãi: Bệnh ghẻ bùng phát ở vùng cao - Ảnh 1.

People in Tang village come to see a doctor at Tra Bui Commune Health Center. (Photo provided by Tra Bui Commune Health Center)

Mr. Ho Minh Nen, Director of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of Quang Ngai, said that after a long time, about 30-40 years, there have been so many cases of scabies recorded in one village. Previously, if there were any, there were only a few scattered cases. Although not life-threatening, scabies is a disease that can spread very quickly and easily become an epidemic in the community.

Quang Ngai CDC directed Tra Bong District Medical Center to closely monitor, care for and treat patients, and strengthen communication activities to inform people about disease prevention such as personal hygiene, clean houses, and avoiding direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with belongings of people with scabies.

"Scabies is mainly transmitted through household items or direct contact. Clothes, blankets, and belongings of the patient must be soaked in concentrated soap, boiled in boiling water, and dried in the sun away from the belongings of people around them. The patient needs to be isolated to prevent the disease from spreading," said Mr. Nen.

Doctor Ho Van Toan, Director of Tra Bong District Medical Center, recommends that when people have symptoms such as severe itching that increases at night; red lesions, flaky skin, sometimes nodules and scaly papules in the folds, edges of fingers, wrists, palms, soles of feet, etc., they should immediately go to the nearest medical facility for examination, consultation and timely treatment.

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