About 200 primary school children from various schools in Thembalethu in George in the Western Cape have been sent to clinics following a suspected scabies outbreak.
The district health department’s spokesperson Nadia Ferreira says all the children were examined after reports of itching of the skin.
A few children have been diagnosed with scabies. However, no infectious diseases like measles or chickenpox were found.
Most of the children are healthy and no specific cause for itching could be determined.
Western Cape Government Health and Wellness is working close with the provincial Education Department to assess the situation and send treatment to schools.
The environmental health practitioner teams are visiting the schools to assess the cause.
The team will advise the Western Cape government education and disaster management teams regarding appropriate measures.
