An outbreak of scabies continues to hit the Magog CHSLD where 19 of the 31 residents of the wandering unit are infected.
Last September, the CHSLD was dealing with an outbreak of scabies when six positive cases were recorded. An employee had also denounced the situation.
France Dubé’s mother is spared, for the moment, but her daughter is worried.
“It’s a lot of difficulty communicating with her. She cries a lot. We go there less and it shows. Plus, she’s still in her jacket and stockings,” she said.
Her mother Rita Potvin suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and struggles to recognize her daughter when she comes to visit her. Due to the outbreak, visits are less frequent.
“Last Thursday I went to see my mother and the attendant was watching a door. I had to go help my mother to the toilet, clean her, put her back in place and put her back to bed,” she added.
Residents were separated into three separate areas last week. The red zone for infected patients, the yellow zone for those with lesions and green for those without lesions.
A way of containing the outbreak which is giving the authorities a hard time, even though the first case was recorded at the end of 2023.
“At the start of the outbreak, we took measures and we saw a small decrease so we were confident in the turn of events,” indicated Marie-Pierre Plante, interim assistant to the general director and assistant to the prevention component. and infection control.
“On the other hand, subsequently there were other cases and that is why we acted at that time to contain the outbreak,” she added.
Despite these precautions, the CIUSSS is under no illusion: the outbreak cannot be stopped before February 2025.
“To end a scabies outbreak, it’s 12 weeks, so two incubation periods. It is at least 12 weeks after the last case that we can say that the outbreak is truly over,” it was specified.
A reality that worries the CHLSD users committee.
“I think the action plan could have been implemented more quickly before it spread,” said Jean-Guy Gingras, member of the CHLSD users committee.
Remember that after being exposed to the parasite, the average incubation time is three weeks, but contagion is immediate.
