Objective Scabies is an infection of the skin, which caused by human itch mite Sarcoptes scabiei . It is a common health problem in Ethiopia, especially during disasters, poor sanitation and overcrowded living condition. However, investigation on scabies outbreak and associated factors was absent or scarce in the country in general and in the study area in particular. Hence, this study was intended to investigate scabies outbreak, identify risk factors, and recommend preventive measures in Kechabira district, Kembata Tembaro zone, Southern Ethiopia. Result We identified a total of 243 scabies cases line listed with overall prevalence of 2.5% and attack rate of (AR) 20.5 per 1000 populations and no death was reported. Of the suspected cases 126 (51.9%) were males and 117 (48.1%) were females. The median age was 24 years with inter-quartile range (IQR) of 22 years. The highest cases were seen in children aged 5–14 (50.6%) years. The cases were seen in three villages and the highest incidence was in Burchana, 23.9 per 1000 population. Identified determinant factors for scabies outbreak were sharing clothes with scabies patients (AOR = 6.08, 95% CI [1.54–23.92], and households having greater than six family members AOR = 38.755, 95% CI [8.084–185.787]. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-019-4317-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.