Two cases of scabies have been detected at a Żejtun home for the elderly, the Health Department said yesterday.

“There is no cause for alarm,” it said, adding that all precautions had been taken.

Two months ago, one case of scabies was detected at the same home and the patient was treated.

Scabies is a contagious skin condition caused by tiny mites, scientifically called Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrow into the skin then breed and lay their eggs, causing a rash and intense itchiness.

Sufferers of scabies rarely know they have the condition until weeks after initial infection. The mite is transmitted through close contact and anyone can get infected.

All those who have been in close contact with an infected person, including relatives, residents and care workers, receive preventive treatment in the form of a cream that is applied to the whole body from the neck down.

In October last year, 71 elderly people and schoolchildren were diagnosed during a scabies outbreak, which began in an old people’s home in Sa Maison.