Scabies Cases Confirmed At 2 Radnor Township Schools

RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA — Several cases of scabies have been confirmed in the Radnor Township School District, according to officials.

The district said Friday, Sept. 27 that 18 students have been diagnosed with scabies.

Seventeen of those students are at Radnor Middle School and one at Radnor Elementary School.

District custodians have been applying an electrostatic disinfectant in classrooms to prevent any potential spread. The electrostatic disinfectant is a safe spray that is used for infection control and to eliminate the spread of viruses, officials said.

"We wanted to make our entire district community aware of this situation to ensure you are alert to the signs and symptoms and to recommend you consult your family healthcare provider should you or your child(ren) present symptoms," the district said in an email to the community.

According to the district, students with signs and symptoms of scabies will be excluded from school unless a note from a healthcare provider is provided that states they are under treatment

Affected areas of the skin must also be covered in order for them to return to school.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, human scabies is caused by an infestation of the skin by the human itch mite.

The microscopic scabies mite burrows into the upper layer of the skin where it lives and lays its eggs. Common symptoms of scabies are intense itching and a pimple-like skin rash. Scabies mites usually spread by direct, prolonged, skin-to-skin contact with a person who has scabies.

The CDC says scabies takes about four to six weeks to being showing symptoms.

Get more information on scabies from the CDC here.