A possible scabies outbreak has forced Virginia officials to cancel visitations at two prisons.
About 90 inmates at the Mecklenburg Correctional Center and 70 prisoners at the Deep Meadow Correctional Center are suspected of having contracted scabies, the Associated Press reports.
A Department of Corrections spokesman told the AP that those inmates are being treated and the medication appears to be working, but treatment takes several days. The department has canceled weekend visits at the facilities and has stopped transporting inmates to and from the prisons.
An infestation of the skin by the human itch mite causes scabies, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The disease causes intense itching and a rash. It spreads from person-to-person contact and can spread quickly in crowded areas like prisons.
The Mecklenberg prison houses 720 inmates; 830 prisoners are held at the Deep Meadow Correctional Center.
