Laundry Scabies Outbreak Management
Effective laundry management is essential to contain and remove the infestation when dealing with a scabies outbreak.
Disposable gloves and long-sleeved gowns must be worn when handling any potentially infested linen or personal items to prevent the skin on any employees from coming into contact with them. Placing linen in a dissolvable alginate laundry bag that is compatible with the facility's washing machines prevents laundry employees from having to handle the contaminated linen directly.
Laundry Process for Disinfestation
The laundry process should start in the morning after all residents have been treated. All linen, clothing, and fabric personal items that any affected resident has used in the 72 hours before treatment must be laundered.
Employees must wear PPE when handling the alginate bags
Linen should not be removed from the alginate bags or sorted by hand without wearing PPE. Put the bag straight into the washing machine without overloading the machine
After placing the infested linen in the washing machine, employees will remove their PPE and wash their hands thoroughly
Thermal disinfestation at 71°C for at least 3 minutes or 65°C for 10 minutes is advised
After laundering, items should be dried immediately in a tumble dryer
For items that cannot be laundered, seal the items in a plastic bag for one week at room temperature.