JEDDAH — Health and education authorities in Al-Laith have joined hands to fight a new outbreak of scabies in schools and villages in the governorate. The officials swung into action after at least 26 schoolchildren and 15 students of the university college as well as their parents and relatives were diagnosed with the disease. Some parents have prevented their children from going to school fearing they will catch the disease. Cases of scabies have been found not in a specific school but different schools in the city, including Omar Bin Abdul Aziz School in Bajala and Hassan Bin Thabit School in Ghamiqa. "Two cases have been reported in a girls school in Eyar village, in addition to 12 cases in Juwaini village," said Mohammed Bin Khateem, spokesman for the Education Department in Al-Laith. Nine students of Areen School were the first victims diagnosed with the disease, he added. Students, parents and government officials joined hands to fight the disease. The College of Health Sciences in Al-Laith deployed 200 students to educate the public on scabies while schools have been provided with disinfectants and detergents. A medical committee has been visiting homes of affected students to record information, disinfect homes and replace furniture. Affected students will not be allowed to return to schools until the committee certifies that they have fully recovered from the disease. Bin Khateem said no teachers have been affected so far while denying reports of closure of schools due to the disease. "It has affected a number of families. Students are isolated if they are found infected," he explained. Health centers in Adham have distributed blankets, clothes, cleaning materials and disinfectants among families in Juwaini village, in association with Al-Birr charitable society. Marae Al-Barakati, education director in Al-Laith, visited schools in the city to inspect the progress of studies following the outbreak of scabies and get reassured about the health of students. He also checked on the measures taken by schools to prevent the disease from spreading. Al-Barakati met with Khaled Bawakid, assistant health director in Jeddah, and Rahman Al-Malki, director of health centers in Adham, and discussed the health condition in Juwaini as well as ongoing efforts to contain scabies in Al-Laith and its villages. Abdul Rahman Hussain Baafeef, assistant education director for school affairs, met with female education officials in the city and instructed them to create awareness among teachers, students and their families about the disease in order to take preventive measures. Naifa Al-Flait, head of school health, presented a paper at a forum for female school leaders, emphasizing their role in controlling the health situation in schools. Health instructors and teachers should play an important role in enlightening students about the disease. Dr. Amina Omar, dermatologist at Al-Laith General Hospital, gave a detailed presentation on scabies and how to protect against the disease. In a related development, a medical seminar on scabies was held at Dhabeea Girls School Complex, which was attended by Ghaitha Al-Faqeeh, director of education in Adham, Showqia Al-Ansari, director of education in Rub Al-Ain and 71 female school leaders. Officials from school health department, meanwhile, continued their inspection tour of the city to find out students infected by the disease and check overall health condition of schools.
