Blood-Sucking Mites Blamed For Skin Irritations At OC School

LAKE FOREST (CBSLA.com) — Blood-sucking mites are responsible for the outbreak of many cases of skin irritation at a Lake Forest elementary school, Orange County public health experts said Wednesday.

A sample of wood chips taken from a play area at Lake Forest Elementary School turned up evidence of a species of mite that feeds on blood, as opposed to chiggers, which feed on surface skin material, the Orange County Register reported.

Students and staff members at the campus since Sept. 15 have reported numerous cases of severe skin irritation, and officials were unable to determine what was causing the outbreak.

Removal of the wood chips from the play area might be the best course of action, officials said, though they added the mites could have spread to other areas of the school and yards, the newspaper reported.

Health experts recommended children showing signs of bites been seen by a doctor, as treatment for them is safe and relatively simple.