There has been consternation and indignation after a policeman working with new arrivals in Motril Port became infected with scabies and passed it on to his family.
The policeman had been working with the immigrants/migrants who had been rescued out at sea and brought into the port and later held at the Municipal Sports Centre because the port holding centre has long been overwhelmed by the numbers arriving.
The spokesperson for the police union, SUP, César Calín, has since stated that it’s not just a case of scabies because other arrivals have tuberculosis and AIDs.
For this reason he demands that the immigrants/migrants received a much more thorough medical inspection than the one given by the Cruz Roja at the port.
“The news arrivals are given bracelets to say if they are healthy or have health issues yet they are all mixed together afterwards at the Sports Centre,” he said.
For this reason the police want greater training in this area and more safety measures than just a mask and rubber gloves.
“In June we asked for overalls be we were told that we were being alarmists,” he complained, adding, “police officers, lawyers and everybody else working in the Sports Centre are at risk,” he warned.
Finally, the infection could have been passed directly through touch – the new arrivals often touch the personnel to show their gratitude – or it could have come from an infected surface that had not been sterilised. For example, “a minor with scabies was taken to the main hospital in Granada and the car seats were not cleaned afterwards,” complained the Police Spokesman.
(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)