The Hospital Clínico Herminda Martín (HCHM) in Chillán, in the Ñuble region, confirmed an outbreak of Norwegian scabies with 13 people infected. All 13 are receiving treatment. The HCHM is the region's main hospital, and Chillán, the regional capital, lies about 400 kilometers south of Santiago.
According to BioBioChile, the hospital announced the outbreak in a statement. Control measures are being coordinated with the Secretaría Regional Ministerial (Seremi) de Salud de Ñuble, the regional office of the health ministry, as well as the Ministerio de Salud (Chile's Ministry of Health) and the hospital's own clinical and support teams. The Chillán newspaper La Discusión published the same information.
Norwegian scabies is a form of scabies caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis. The statement does not detail the symptoms or severity of the disease. It does describe how it spread in this case, always through person-to-person contact.
Dr. Gerardo Fernández, head of the HCHM's Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases Unit, explained that the outbreak began with a patient who was admitted to the Emergency Unit and later treated in a clinical service. The hospital did not specify which service.
Of the 13 cases, eight were infected through direct contact during healthcare. Another two were infected in the home of one of those people, and the remaining three through workplace contact with one of those household cases. This is why the outbreak has already spread beyond the hospital.
The hospital blocked contacts among staff, students and volunteers. The staff's Comprehensive Health Unit provided treatment according to each person's level of exposure and the results of the epidemiological investigation. The hospital also called for stronger self-reporting of symptoms so that anyone who needs it can be assessed and referred in time.
Students' curricular placements in the affected services were also temporarily suspended. The measure affects students in health degree programs who train at the hospital. The statement does not say how many students are affected or how long the suspension will last.
The hospital also reinforced the preventive measures of its Infection Control Program and standard precautions in all care.
The HCHM's acting director, Dr. Ximena Espinoza Carrasco, said the hospital is handling the situation "responsibly and in a timely manner". She added that the priority is the well-being of staff, patients, students and users, in coordination with health authorities.
According to the hospital, patient care continues as normal and there is no interruption of services. The hospital said it will keep monitoring the outbreak and will announce new measures when appropriate. For now, it has not given timelines for resuming the placements or for closing the outbreak.
