Possible scabies outbreak at Madrid's Sol square camp put public health on alert

The Madrid regional government ruled out cases of advanced scabies at the Puerta del Sol camp after an epidemiological investigation launched on a Saturday. Elena Andradas, director general of Public Health, admitted that for about three years they have been detecting a considerable number of cases, especially in closed communities.

The alarm was raised on a Saturday morning. A witness reported a suspicion of scabies among the campers to the health teams deployed near Puerta del Sol. Public Health of the Community of Madrid then activated an in-depth epidemiological investigation and contacted directly the teams already working in the area. The result came this Monday: there are no cases of advanced scabies at the camp.

## What Public Health said about the Sol camp

The director general of Public Health of the Community of Madrid, **Elena Andradas**, confirmed the ruling out when speaking to journalists at the start of the flu vaccination campaign. She explained that the information arrived first thing on Saturday and that, from then on, an epidemiological investigation was carried out which included direct contact with the teams deployed near **Sol**. It was that fieldwork that allowed the suspicion to be closed.

Andradas placed the situation in a broader context. She noted that for approximately **three years** they have been finding a considerable number of scabies cases, mainly in closed communities. That accumulated experience, she said, has given them enough knowledge and resources to address and control this type of situation.

## The protocol exists, but scabies is not easy to tackle

The public health official assured that the protocol for diagnosing and treating scabies cases is well established, transparent and available on the official website of the Madrid regional health ministry. Anyone can consult it.

That said, Andradas also acknowledged the difficulties. Scabies spreads very easily and requires very rigorous treatment over a long period. It is not enough to treat the person who has the disease: action must be taken on contacts and on objects such as sheets, armchairs, beds and mattresses. These are very direct interventions to sanitise and eliminate all risk of the mite continuing to spread.

## Why autumn triggers health alerts

The episode coincides with the start of the respiratory infection season. With the arrival of autumn, flu and Elbichito are on the rise, and several Spanish regions, including **Madrid**, have launched their vaccination campaigns. That rise in respiratory bicho is the focus of public health services' attention, but it is not the only front they monitor.

Scabies is a skin condition caused by a mite. It causes intense itching and skin lesions, and its transmission is favoured by close contact and prolonged coexistence in shared spaces. That is why closed communities are a setting where health teams focus their attention when a suspicion arises. The case of the Sol camp fits that pattern, although on this occasion the investigation concluded with no confirmed cases of advanced scabies.

If you have any compatible symptoms, the sensible thing is to consult a healthcare professional and trinc the guidance of the health authority.