Increased Scabies Incidence at the Beginning of the 21st Century: What Do Reports from Europe and the World Show?

Abstract

Reports from various countries have described increasing numbers of scabies cases, especially in the past two decades. The epidemiological data for various world regions showed prevalence estimates ranging from 0.2% to 71%, with the highest prevalence in the Pacific region and Latin America. Therefore, geographically, scabies occurs more commonly in the developing world, tropical climates, and in areas with a lack of access to water. According to results from specific regions of the world, the greatest burdens from scabies were recorded for East Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, tropical Latin America, and South Asia. Among countries with the highest rates, the top 10 were Indonesia, China, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, Fiji, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and the Seychelles. From Europe, available data shows an increasing trend in scabies infestation, particularly evident among populations with associated contributing factors, such as those who travel frequently, refugees, asylum seekers, those who regularly lack drinking water and appropriate hygiene and are of a younger age, etc. This increase in observed cases in the last 10–20 years has been evidenced by research conducted in Germany, France, Norway, and Croatia, among other countries. In addition, increased scabies transmission was also recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic and may have been the result of increased sexual intercourse during that time. Despite all the available treatment options, scabies commonly goes unrecognized and is therefore not treated accordingly. This trend calls for a prompt and synergistic reaction from all healthcare professionals, governmental institutions, and non-governmental organizations, especially in settings where population migration is common and where living standards are low. Furthermore, the proper education of whole populations and accessible healthcare are cornerstones of outbreak prevention. Accurate national data and proper disease reporting should be a goal for every country worldwide when developing strategic plans for preventing and controlling the community spread of scabies.

Scabies outbreak management in refugee/migrant camps in Europe 2014–2017: a retrospective qualitative interview study of healthcare staff experiences and perspectives

“…Some studies suggest scabies infestations may have increased across Europe recently, including research conducted in Turkey, France and the Netherlands, countries in which a number of our study participants were based 33–38. In the general population of the Netherlands, recorded scabies diagnosis per 1000 persons per year increased fourfold in 2011–2020 (0.6–2.6), in parallel with a sixfold increase in scabicide dispensing over the same period.…”

Study of the Use of Permethrin 5% Cream in Galicia (Spain) between 2018 and 2021

“…It is a highly contagious parasitic skin disease that negatively affects quality of life and can cause psychosocial problems for patients and their families. Due to the increasing trend of its prevalence and the lack of its clinical recognition, the WHO encourages countries to stop this trend by 2030 as part of its Sustainable Development Goals [ 9 ]. Here, we conducted one of the first studies focused on investigating the consumption of permethrin 5% cream in the world.…”

“…In addition, reducing humidity and increasing room temperatures could also help to reduce scabies infestation rates [ 24 ]. Finally, adequate education and accessible healthcare may be the pillars of outbreak prevention [ 9 ]. More studies are needed to clarify the determining factors of the infection and those that can explain the observed results.…”

“…It causes significant socioeconomic impacts and affects all ages, sexes and types of social class and educational levels, although the risk of transmission increases in areas where hygienic conditions are not optimal and in settings with high concentrations of people where skin-to skin contact is common, such as kindergartens, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and other closed institutions (prisons, military and refugee camps, mental institutions, etc.) [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. The diagnosis of a scabies infestation is usually made from the history and examination of the affected person.…”

Risk Factors Affecting Scabies in Baubau City

“…Among countries with the highest rates, the top 10 were Indonesia, China, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, Fiji, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and the Seychelles (Aždajić et al, 2022). This disease has been linked to a variety of health problems, including delayed diagnosis, infection risk, and high mortality, mainly from sepsis, and it has the potential to cause an outbreak due to its hyper-infestation, which makes it highly infectious (Niode et al, 2022).…”