A scabies outbreak on campus? ORAS and Dé Partij want itch-free furniture

“Have you ever had scabies?” Student Council member Rosalie Fritz (ORAS) opened her argument with this question at the monthly consultation meeting between the Student Council and the Executive Board. The Interim Vice-Rector Magnificus Hans Hellendoorn and policy officer Danko Roozemond shake their heads laughing. No, they have not.

Fritz sketched how drastic an infection can be. “Every student who has ever had scabies cannot forget the nightmare. Rubbing, scratching and lying awake night after night from the itch.” To eradicate the mite, you also need to pack all your things in plastic bags and wash your bedding several times.

‘You can pick up the infection from the upholstery on a chair where someone with scabies sat’

“And you still don’t know for certain if it has helped,” said Fritz. She stressed the point that an infection often has nothing to do with personal hygiene. “You can pick up the infection from the upholstery on a chair where someone with scabies sat.” These chairs are spread over the campus in several lecture halls. Fritz: “It is hard to know where you picked up scabies as the exact point in time of the infection is hard to determine. But we have spoken to students who believe it came from the upholstery at TU Delft.”

Choose leather or plastic furniture

Dé Partij and ORAS are both therefore asking for greater attention to be paid to fighting scabies on the furniture on campus. Upholstered chairs and benches help spread the skin disease among students and staff members. Fritz suggested that when the campus furniture is replaced, to opt for alternatives like leather and plastic. Hellendoorn said that in the ‘flat lecture halls’ (the halls where no parts are raised, Eds.) plastic furniture has been the choice for a while. But it is harder to replace upholstered chairs in theatre halls. However, he said that he would discuss it with Campus & Real Estate (CRE). “I had never even thought about it, but I will definitely raise the subject.”

For Roozemond, the policy officer, the risk of infection through upholstered furniture was also new. He said that in previous scabies outbreaks they had a lot of contact with the GGD (the Community Health Services). “But they never warned us about the risks of upholstered furniture.”

Scabies on the agenda

On average, furniture on campus is replaced once every 10 years. This means that speedy replacement will be hard. That said, Hellendoorn and Roozemond promised to see whether requirements for ‘scabies-free materials’ can be included in future tenders that are done every three years or so.

Whether the lecture hall benches will be leather or plastic remains open at the moment. In any case, ORAS and Dé Partij have achieved one thing: scabies is now on the agenda.

What is scabies?

Scabies is a skin infection that is caused by the scabies mite. The mite digs little tunnels in the skin and causes intense itchiness, especially at night. The infection can be spread through direct skin contact with an infected person or through infected surfaces such as bed linens, towels and, indeed, furniture. The illness has become more common among students, often because of the close contact in homes and living in student houses with shared amenities. It can be treated, but it is tricky. Apart from medication, clothing, bedding and furniture need to be cleaned thoroughly to prevent reinfection.

• Read here more about what you can do in case of infection.