Health officials had to clear blankets and tarps out of Civic Center park on Friday morning after a man sleeping on the sidewalk told police officers he had a skin infection known as scabies.

Around 9 a.m., officers contacted a man sleeping on the sidewalk along the east end of the park, where Occupy Denver often holds demonstrations and marches, said Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson. About 25 people have been sleeping on the sidewalk nightly since October.

The man police sought Friday had several outstanding arrest warrants out of Denver.

The man, who has not been identified, told officers that he has scabies. Officers reported that the man had visible irritations on his skin.

Scabies is a skin infestation caused by human itch mites called Sarcoptes scabiei burrowing into the upper layer of the skin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The mites lay eggs in the skin, which in turn causes an itchy, pimple-like skin rash.

Police called the Denver Department of Environmental Health and the man was taken into custody.

Dressed in a white hazardous-material suit, a health official then gathered the man’s belongings and used tape to seal them in large plastic bags.

Scabies is spread through close personal contact, so there is no concern for the general public passing through the park. Officials spoke with people sleeping in the park, who might have been in close proximity to the man.

Keeping the park clean and sanitary is an ongoing battle, Jackson said.

For the second time in two weeks, the Denver Department of Public Works washed the sidewalk and removed trash after people moved their belongings into the park, spokeswoman Ann Williams said.

Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com