Outbreak of nasty Victorian disease forces UK university to shut down
AN OUTBREAK of a nasty Victorian disease has forced a London university to close its doors.
Fashion students fled Central Saint Martins art school in north London after a roll of fabric containing scabies infected the campus.
It comes as students at the well-esteemed arts university gear up for the annual ‘White Show’ which is one of the biggest events of the year, Metro reported.
“It was madness, there were so many students who had deadlines at one of the busiest times of the year,” one student said.
“People were so nervous because they had been sitting in the studios all day without knowing that they could have contracted something.
“It all came from a long roll of fabric that one of the students brought in. Nobody knows who it was that brought it in, or if they even knew what was on it.”
There have been two reported cases at the university, and both were being supported by health professionals.
Famous alumni at the prestigious arts university include designer Alexander McQueen, singer Paloma Faith, and Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker.
Scabies is a skin condition caused by an infestation of tiny mites.
It is not a particularly serious condition physically, but it can can trigger mental health issues.
Key symptoms may include intense itching and a nasty raised rash or spots.
Students were first alerted to the spread at the end of November, as teams were brought in to give the university rooms a “deep clean”.
Undergraduates were also urged to consult their GP if they reported any symptoms.
A spokesperson from UAL told Metro that there had been “two reported” but “unconfirmed” cases of scabies from approximately four weeks ago.
The Sun has reached out to UAL for comment.
It comes as Britain is facing a critical shortage of scabies medicines as children head back to school.
Experts have warned the shortage is likely to become a “major public health issue”.
Supplies of the two most widely used treatments for scabies, permethrin cream and malathion lotion, are running low due to “increased demand”, the Department of Health said.
With no proposed end date, shortages are set to last indefinitely.
Ade Williams, a pharmacist from Bristol, told The Sun that supply of permethrin has been hard to get for “several months” and has been exacerbated by local outbreaks of the bugs.
“Scabies can have this impact across all age groups which is why this shortage is so worrying,” Williams warned.
What is scabies and what are the symptoms?
Scabies is a skin condition caused by an infestation of tiny mites.
The NHS says: “Scabies is very common and anyone can get it.
“It should be treated quickly to stop it spreading.”
One of the first symptoms of scabies is intense itching, which is often worse at night.
Your entire body can be itchy, even in areas which don’t have mites.
The symptoms of scabies, such as the rash and itching, is in fact your body’s reaction to the mite’s saliva, faeces and eggs.