At least two fraternities canceled their social events following the confirmation of multiple cases of scabies on campus.
Thursday, the Bob Smith Health Center confirmed they “had a couple of kids with scabies” over this past week. In an email to The Daily Campus, Anthony De Bruyn, director of strategic communications at SMU, would not confirm the number of cases. However, he said there’s “no outbreak” of scabies on campus. Additionally, De Bruyn noted there was no increase in scabies cases on campus but would not provide specifics on when the university previously had a high number of scabies cases.
According to the CDC, scabies is caused by a microscopic mite that burrows underneath the skin. Symptoms include itching and a pimple-like skin rash that can be found between the fingers or anywhere skin folds. In a undated CDC podcast called “Ask CDC,” host Susan Laird explained people with crusted scabies are very contagious because they have more mites.
Dr. Dan McKenzie, a dermatologist, said the contagious nature and varied symptoms presentation timeline makes diagnosis difficult.
“The problem is that someone could have it and not itch so therefore they wouldn’t know about it until they start developing an itch, but by that time they may have spread it to another person,” Dr. McKenzie said. “Everyone’s a little different. Some people might start itching pretty quickly, over a few days, other people may take a few weeks before they really know.”
Scabies transmits through direct physical contact, which can include sexual contact.
Anonymous gossip apps like Fizz and social media accounts attributed to the circulation of rumors about where the cases of scabies stemmed from. One account posted a message from the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority group chat that asks girls to “do their research on the condition” to make their own decision about attending their sorority event. The sender also proposed a chapter vote to possibly cancel the event, which it later was.
The Daily Campus also reached out to members of Phi Delta Theta and Pi Beta Phi whose joint “frat wedding” event set for Thursday was canceled, but no members replied.
If someone were to contract scabies, they should isolate and avoid contact with others, according to the CDC. Those infected can be prescribed scabicide cream or oral medication to treat symptoms. Dr. McKenzie recommends that anyone with close physical contacts or roommates should get treated even if they don’t experience symptoms. Early treatment following a doctor’s visit could prevent the scabies from transmitting back-and-forth.
If you become infected, immediately wash your clothes, bedding and other linens with hot water and dry on high heat. People should also clean and sanitize communal spaces to prevent others from contracting scabies.
