Perry Schools Leaders Send Letter to Staff After ‘Diagnosed’ Cases of Scabies

(This story has been updated because an earlier version contained inaccuracies.)

Perry Elementary School leaders have warned staff about “diagnosed” cases of scabies in the pre-school.

The first report was within the school’s preschool program, elementary school Principal Laura Skeele wrote in a letter to staff Tuesday.

“I’m sure you’ve heard that we have been diagnosed with scabies in our preschool program,” Skeel said. “Although we have been working on this for several weeks with one student, in the last 24 hours there have been several other students and staff who have had scabies-like symptoms and are receiving treatment.”

But in a follow-up email to the Des Moines Register, Skeele clarified that “there have been no confirmed cases of scabies reported to date.”

“We had (one) case that appeared to be scabies but was not confirmed by laboratory testing,” Skeel said. “There are a couple other cases with similar symptoms, but they also have not been confirmed by laboratory tests.”

The preschool classroom was thoroughly cleaned out of an abundance of caution, Skeele wrote in a follow-up email. Information has been sent to parents to help them stay informed and contact health care providers at their discretion.

The itchy skin rash associated with scabies is caused by Sarcoptes scabiei burrowing mites. according to the Mayo Clinic. Ticks are transmitted through close contact between people.

In recent weeks, district officials have spoken with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, a pesticide company, school advocates, the Iowa Department of Education school nurse and local doctors to learn more about scabies and how to prevent its spread, the letter states. . home for state states.

“To be clear, there is no scabies outbreak in Perry schools,” Superintendent Clark Weeks told the Des Moines Register Friday morning. “As stated in the letter, we have made additional efforts to ensure the safety of all children during the cleanup process through our conversations with the Iowa Department of Public Health and all local health officials.”

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The letter goes on to say that scabies is “a relatively common skin disease caused by an immune response to a mite rather than by an infection, virus or bacteria.”

Scabies is “a nuisance similar to head lice that is not dangerous and does not spread disease.”

“There is no recommendation or guidance that they should be excluded from school or daycare for long periods of time if they have received treatment,” the letter to staff said.

“According to Nick Kalas, an epidemiologist at the Iowa Department of Public Health, “it is borderline impossible for scabies to be transmitted to someone in another classroom unless there is an undetected case in that room,” Skeel wrote.

She advises parents and caregivers to contact their doctor if they are concerned that someone in their family may have contracted scabies.

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“While I understand that scabies (and lice, and bedbugs, and cockroaches, and any other bugs!) are no fun in the classroom and cause everyone to be careful, I am confident that we did our due diligence to ensure that we did everything possible. we do everything we can to minimize the spread of scabies,” she said.

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Read the letter to employees

Good afternoon,

I’m sure you’ve heard that cases of scabies have been diagnosed in our preschool program. Although we have been working on this for several weeks with one student, in the last 24 hours there have been several other students and staff who have had scabies-like symptoms and have received treatment. Over the past few weeks, there have been several conversations with the Iowa Department of Public Health, our local pesticide company, our school lawyers, the Department of Education school nurse, and a local doctor about scabies and how to prevent its spread. What I’ve learned over the past few weeks about scabies is that there is a wealth of information of varying degrees of severity regarding how quickly it spreads and how to treat it. Today Mr. Weeks, Ms. Rinker, Ms. Hicks and I spoke on the phone with Iowa Department of Public Health epidemiologist Nick Kalas, who shared some information with us about scabies. Attached to this letter is a summary from the Department of Health and a summary of my notes is below. I am sharing this information in hopes of reassuring you and clarifying some information about scabies.

• Scabies is a relatively common skin disease caused by an immune response to a mite rather than an infection, virus or bacteria.

• Scabies is a nuisance similar to head lice, but is not dangerous and does not spread disease.

• The only way to confirm a diagnosis of scabies is to have a skin scraping, in which a sample of the skin is examined under a microscope to confirm the presence of mites.

• It is possible that people experience bumps, rashes, or immune reactions that mimic scabies but are not actually scabies. The only way to know for sure is if the skin has been scraped and examined under a microscope.

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Iowa Department of Public Health, if a person infected with scabies receives complete treatment with the prescribed lotion, they can return to school (or work, daycare, etc.) the next day. There are no recommendations or indications that they should be excluded from school or daycare for long periods of time if they have undergone treatment.

• According to Nick Kalas, an epidemiologist with the Iowa Department of Public Health, “it is completely impossible to spread scabies to someone in another classroom unless there is an undetected case in that room.” Transmission of scabies requires prolonged skin-to-skin contact with a person infected with scabies.

While I understand that scabies (and lice, and bed bugs, and cockroaches, and any other bugs!) are no fun in the classroom and make everyone cautious, I am confident that we did our due diligence to ensure we did everything possible. It is best to minimize the spread of scabies. If you are concerned that you may have contracted scabies, I encourage you to ask your doctor for a skin scraping to fully confirm and seek treatment from your doctor.

I’ll be at the library after school from 3 to 3:15 if anyone has any questions about scabies. We will have a steering coalition meeting starting at 3:15 pm on the 4th floor. I understand that some staff may have to leave to vote after school, and that’s okay. We still plan to meet as a governing coalition and may meet later if necessary.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Laura Skeel

Primary School Principal

(Editor’s note: A previously published version of this story incorrectly stated to whom the letter from Principal Laura Skeele was sent.)

Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.

This article originally appeared in the Des Moines Register: Perry Schools Representatives Send Letter About ‘Diagnosed’ Scabies Cases