Kettering (Ohio) Medical Center is dealing with a scabies outbreak, as 86 cases were reported as of Monday afternoon and numbers are expected to climb, according to a Springfield News-Sun report.
A patient had a crusted scabies infection and passed it on to hospital employees, according to the report. No other patients have been infected.
Scabies is caused by the human itch mite, which burrows into the upper layer of the skin and lays eggs there, according to the CDC. Symptoms include itching and a rash. The mites spread easily in crowded conditions where close body contact is common.
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In hospitals, "outbreaks frequently are the result of a delayed diagnosis and treatment of crusted (Norwegian) scabies in debilitated, immunocompromised, institutionalized or elderly persons," according to the CDC.
Affected employees are being treated and are not allowed at work until they are no longer contagious, according to the News-Sun.
Kettering also contracted with a company to have the hospital deep cleaned, according to the report.