Visitor restrictions lifted at a Kona hospital following scabies outbreak

Kona Community Hospital on Hawaii Island.
Kona Community Hospital on Hawaii Island.(Bob Brown: Eye Expression Photography | Kona Community Hospital)
Updated: Jan. 14, 2019 at 4:28 PM HST
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KONA (HawaiiNewsNow) - A Kona Hospital has lifted visitor restrictions following a scabies outbreak that began late last year.

The Kona Community Hospital reports that although the restrictions were lifted Monday, it is too early to declare an all-clear in the outbreak.

Officials said dcabies has an incubation period of two to eight weeks. During that time, an exposed person can still spread the infection. The hospital is continuing to monitor employees and patients for signs of the illness.

Scabies is a highly contagious, but common infection that spreads from person to person by skin-to-skin contact. Signs and symptoms include intense itching and a pimple-like rash.

Upwards of 50 people were diagnosed with scabies around the time the highly contagious virus was possibly brought in to the hospital around Nov. 19.

Since then, hospital staff members have taken aggressive measures to contain and battle the disease. These measures included:

  • Hospital-wide disinfection 
  • Preventive treatment of all patient-care employees, and any non-patient-care employees who may have been exposed within the same time-frame
  • Daily surveillance of patients and staff continues
  • Community outreach to discharged and current patients and families 
  • Notifications to community health agencies and physicians
  • Consults and reports to Department of Health
  • Extensive hospital-wide and one-on-one employee, patient and family education

“We’ve seen the dedication of staff members to patients and the community while adhering to strict infection control protocols,” Joy Bjornberg, Interim CNE said.

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