Sixteen University of North Florida students have been either exposed to or diagnosed with scabies by Student Health Services as of Monday, the department reported.  

It’s been over two weeks since SHS alerted over 300 on-campus residents that they may have been exposed to the human itch mite, and symptoms can take between four to eight weeks to develop. 

Three of the cases were identified in the past week and the other 13 were found by last Monday, SHS Director Dr. Valerie Morrison told Spinnaker. Morrison said that of the 16 students identified, five were diagnosed and treated for scabies, and 11 were identified through contact tracing as potentially exposed. 

Of the five that were diagnosed with scabies, four lived on-campus and one lived off-campus. 

Of the 11 that were identified through contract tracing, four were treated prophylactically, one declined treatment and six did not seek treatment through SHS. 

What is scabies?

Scabies is a skin condition caused by mites. It commonly leads to intense itching and a pimple-like skin rash that may affect various areas of the body, according to the CDC. 

It is spread by direct, prolonged, skin-to-skin contact with another person who has scabies and can spread rapidly under crowded conditions where close body and skin contact is frequent. 

To learn more about scabies, visit here.

If you believe you’ve been exposed to scabies, contact UNF SHS by calling (904) 620-2900. 

Stay with Spinnaker as we continue to cover cases at UNF. 

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