'No fresh outbreak' of scabies

Published on: . by Barry Alleyne What originally was called a "rash outbreak" at the Psychiatric Hospital earlier this year was actually a small outbreak of scabies. And now, the country's mental health institution is denying there is a full outbreak of the skin disorder at the Black Rock, St Michael facility. In April, the hospital was closed to visitors at the onset of the rash but reopened days later, hospital director Tennyson Springer saying the situation had been brought under control. Dermatologist Dr Suleman Bhamjee had been brought in to conduct tests on the itchy patients, but a diagnosis was never made public. On Friday, acting director Lyman Phillips flatly denied the hospital was dealing with another "outbreak", saying no new cases of scabies had been reported since they brought the "rash" problem under control... [read full story]