BRIEF: Scabies Outbreak Closes Nursing Home

Posted on: Saturday, 21 June 2008, 03:00 CDT By Shelley Terry, Star Beacon, Ashtabula, Ohio Jun. 21--AUSTINBURG TOWNSHIP -- An outbreak of scabies closed an Austinburg nursing home Friday. Austinburg Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 2026 Route 45, is in quarantine for three days, according to a sign on the front doors. "It's a good thing because it is what is needed at this time; we're trying to get a handle on it," said Jay Becker, of the county health department's bioterrorism/ contagious-disease division. "All of the affected people are being treated." The nursing facility's administrator, Evan Hamilton, did not return a phone call from the Star Beacon. Scabies is an infestation of the skin with the microscopic mite Sarcoptes scabei. Infestation is common, found worldwide, and affects all people. Scabies spreads rapidly... [read full story]