Former Model ‘Eaten Alive’ By Scabies Mites in Georgia Hospital

A 93-year-old woman who was a former model has been reportedly ‘eaten alive’ by scabies mites at a Georgia hospital, according to contentions by her family. Media reports suggest that Rebecca Zeni died due to septicaemia caused by crusted scabies at a Shepherds Hill Nursing Home in LaFayette in June 2015. The nonagenarian who died a terrible death was a former model and was admitted to the hospital since she had dementia at the later years of her life. Pictures of her in her last days, covered in thick scaly scabs are doing rounds and paint a rather tragic picture of the woman who was known once for her stunning beauty.

The mites that fed upon Zeni are microscopic creatures that burrow into the skin. They lay their eggs and multiply, causing thick scab-like covering all over the infected person’s body. The elderly lady was suffering from extensive scabbing on her limbs due, and her digits had blackened. The hospital staff themselves were frightened of handling Zeni, thinking any movement might cause her body parts to fall off.

The hospital authorities have come under fire since they were aware of a mite infestation but never launched an investigation into the matter. As per the records of Georgia Department of Public Health, officials were notified of a scabies outbreak in the hospital between 2013 and 2015 and had sent information to the facility on how to treat scabies. The family is now suing Pruitt Health, which runs the hospital where the former model was admitted, although there is still some doubt whether any of Zeni’s family members visited her during her time at the healthcare centre.

What is Scabies?

Scabies is an intensely itchy skin disease caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrows deep into the skin and lays eggs inside. A patient with a mild infestation may have an average of 12 mites in their skin. But those with crusted scabies may have thousands of mites.

How is it Spread?

Scabies is a highly contagious and is spread through person-to-person contact with the skin. Transfer can also occur through bedding and clothes of the infected person. A pregnant female mite burrows into the skin, feeding on dissolved skin tissues and lays eggs within. The larvae emerge after a period of 2-3 days and dig new burrows. They soon multiply and repeat the same cycle every two weeks. When the infestation leads to uncontrolled growth of the mites inside the skin, the scabies takes on a crusted appearance. Crusted scabies are seen in people who are immunocompromised, like in the elderly or the children.

What Are The Symptoms?

The main symptom of scabies is intense itching, caused by the body’s own immune reaction to the borrowed mites. It takes two to six weeks for the infection to manifest.

Dr. Kris Sperry, a forensic pathologist handling Zeni’s autopsy said that it was one of the most horrendous things he had ever seen in his career. Calling the incident ‘homicide by neglect,’ the pathologist also said that the woman might have died a painful death. Pruitt Health was unavailable for comment despite many requests from the media but stated in their legal response that they were not to be blamed for the old woman’s death since they are not a healthcare provider and the infestation was caused ‘by entities over which (they) exercised no control.’

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 28, 2018 02:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).