Prof. Arnon Cohen, an expert in dermatology at the General Hospital, explains that “scabies, also known as scabies, is a skin disease caused by a tiny parasite called Sarcoptes scabiei.” According to him, the main symptom of the disease is a skin rash and severe itching, which worsens at night. “Other possible symptoms may include small, red lesions, and itchy marks on the surface of the body, and sometimes a secondary skin infection may also develop.” The professor points out that the scabies disease is usually not dangerous, but the scabies definitely significantly affects the patients’ quality of life. He adds that scabies can be dangerous for those who are immunosuppressed, such as cancer or AIDS patients, so it may appear in a generalized form.
“highly contagious disease”
Prof. Cohen adds that scabies is a highly contagious disease, transmitted by direct contact between an infected person and a healthy person. He also notes that infection is also possible through contact with infected objects, such as clothes, bedding and towels. According to him, the risk factors include: crowded living quarters, poor hygiene conditions and close contact with sick people. According to him, the chance of the staff at the Shavas getting infected from the prisoners is quite minimal, but it does exist. “The best way to prevent infection with the disease is to observe personal hygiene, avoid close contact with scabies patients, and avoid using bedding, clothes, and blankets of people with scabies.” .
The professor explains that the diagnosis of the disease is usually based on the clinical symptoms and a history of contact with patients. “In order to treat scabies, a medicine must be applied topically to the skin in order to relieve the itching, and eliminate the parasite and transfer it to other people.”
According to him, the current situation in Gaza is a fertile ground for the outbreak of skin diseases of this kind, partly due to the hot weather, the overcrowding in the tunnels or anywhere in the combat zones, sleeping together and crowded and lack of hygiene conditions.
Prof. Oren Zemachoni, director of the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Kaplan Medical Center, and a member of the Infectious Diseases Association, adds that the conditions of overcrowding and problematic access to clean water in Gaza also increase the chance of contracting infectious diseases. “Fortunately, we have not yet seen such outbreaks, but the chance is great – both for morbidity from diseases related to lack of vaccination such as measles, for example, and for morbidity from intestinal diseases that may be caused by a lack of hygiene, including diarrhea, dysentery and cholera.”