Scabies outbreak at Elysee palace

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy are at the centre of a health scare following an outbreak of scabies at the Elysée palace in Paris.

Three members of the palace guard were diagnosed with the highly contagious skin disease, which doctors said they had contracted due to the "dilapidated state" of what is considered one of France's most illustrious palaces.

Scabies is an illness more commonly linked to the squalid living conditions of the very poor, especially homeless people. There was a large scale outbreak over the summer among migrants hoping to cross into Britain who lived in a makeshift camp outside Calais known as the "jungle", which has now been razed.



While the Elysée's exterior is regally impressive, visitors are regularly shocked by the moth-eaten interiors. A source at the Association for the Defence of Military Rights - which represents palace staff - said that much of the palace was in urgent need of a makeover, particularly the staff quarters.

He said: "It is true that there have been some cases in the Elysée because of the dilapidated state of the building. Plaster is falling off walls in pieces." Some gendarmes slept in collapsible beds that were "never aired" and bedding was "almost never changed," the source alleged.

A spokesman for Mr Sarkozy said: "Work is currently being carried out in the military quarters in order to prevent people having to live so close together – the main cause of scabies."