JEDDAH: Six new cases of scabies have been reported from schools in Al-Al-Laith, taking the total number of infections to 72 in the province in Makkah region.

The latest cases were detected in a girls’ school Yalamlam Center, with five of those infected with the skin disease are sisters, local media reported on Monday.

Medical teams from the Yalamlam Health Center visited the girls in their home and confirmed they were infected with scabies. The students have been given a break from school until the end of the current week.

“The Health Ministry is keen to provide best medical services in all parts of the Kingdom, and is exerting efforts to provide both preventative and treatment services in Al-Laith and Adam,” an official from the ministry was quoted as saying. There are 31 health centers in these areas that provide families with medical, preventative, and treatment services, he added.

The ministry has taken all necessary steps to address the increase in scabies areas in these areas, he said.

“A team consisting of the director of infectious diseases department and officials from the environmental health department, community medicine, epidemiology, and supervisors of preventative medical teams in the area visited sectors in Adam and Al-Laith and the homes of all those infected to provide treatment and identify the source of the diseases,” he said.

Awareness programs are also being organized on how the disease is transmitted, its symptoms, and how to prevent it, the official said.

An official source in Jeddah said the medical team that visited the area is still following up on cases and has provided necessary means and materials to prevent the disease from spreading.