4 Nashville courthouse workers with scabies connected to jailhouse outbreak, officials say

At least four courthouse staffers have scabies believed to be connected to an outbreak among local jail inmates, Nashville officials said Friday.

On Friday, during a courthouse meeting about the outbreak, director of probation Bob Green said four staffers in his office had confirmed cases of scabies and one more was receiving treatment.

Six more employees were on the way to Metro's injury-on-duty clinic out of concern they'd been exposed.

Metro Public Health Department officials first knew three weeks ago there was a rash on some female inmates at Davidson County Detention Facility, a 1,300-bed jail operated by the private prison company CoreCivic (formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America).

Background:More than 300 inmates treated as scabies-like rash spreads through Nashville jail

The inmates were not treated until Thursday, when The Tennessean first reported on the outbreak. Health department spokesman Brian Todd said it took time to investigate the cause of the rashes. 

Scabies is an itch mite that burrows under the skin, causing a rash and itching. It is spread through close contact, and can survive for two to three days away from human skin, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Exactly how many courthouse staffers have sought treatment for the pesky parasite is not known. Court administrators and health department officials referred questions to Metro Human Resources, which did not respond to a request for information late Friday.

Criminal Court Judge Steve Dozier said Thursday that a murder trial in his courtroom was delayed because a lawyer was plagued by the parasite.

Metro health officials, who said Thursday that about 320 inmates were receiving treatment, revised that number on Friday, saying 218 inmates were treated.

Of those, 39 had a "scabies-like" rash, Todd said. A day earlier, he'd estimated that number at 20 to 25.

How can we be sure we're protected? 

The infestations among those who work at the courthouse — and don't necessarily have skin contact with inmates — have drawn concern.

On Friday afternoon, city officials called a courthouse meeting to answer any questions about the outbreak. About 40 probation officers, judges, judicial staff, assistant prosecutors, deputy clerks and other courthouse workers attended.

Two Metro public health experts answered their questions.

Does there need to be skin-to-skin contact? What about inmates who have been released from jail? How can we be sure we're protected? Is Lysol effective? What about rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer? 

While experts addressed those concerns, many employees still discussed heading to the clinic later in the day. 

General Sessions Judge Melissa Blackburn said she went to the health clinic on Thursday to get a preventative dose of medication. She said during the Friday meeting that she was turned away.

The health department representatives assured her that, as of Friday morning, the policy had changed.

Now, they recommend people get preventative doses of medication and have directed the clinic not to turn away people who have had contact with inmates.  

How long before the outbreak is taken care of?

"We're hoping within the next couple of weeks," Metro infectious disease physician Joanna Shaw-Kaikai said during the courthouse meeting.

"It's always unpredictable," added Shoana Anderson, communicable disease and emergency preparedness director for the health department. "Some of the best methods are early detection and treatment, and treating contacts. That helps really slow it down so that you can mitigate or stop the outbreak."

Reach Stacey Barchenger at 615-726-8968, sbarchenger@tennessean.com or on Twitter @sbarchenger. Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892, sboucher@tennessean.com or on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.