YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — Officials say Michigan's only prison for women will be closed to visitors for part of next week as inmates are isolated and treated for scabies.
The Detroit Free Press reports that the treatments are part of an effort to deal with itchy rashes reported over the past year affecting more than 200 inmates at Huron Valley prison near Ypsilanti. The prison has nearly 2,100 inmates and officials suspect that the cause of the rashes is scabies.
Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz says 39 women have tested positive for scabies and another 224 have complained about skin rashes.
Scabies is caused by parasitic mites that burrow under the skin and lay eggs.
The prison has been subject to complaints and lawsuits by prisoners and guards about conditions at the facility.
