Surge in Scabies: Highly Contagious Skin Disease Spreads Across Europe, with the UK Facing Treatment Shortages.

 

In the past few months, Dr. Naveed Ijaz, a general practitioner specializing in dermatology in Manchester, UK, has noticed an increasing number of patients with intense itching and rashes at his clinic. The culprit? Scabies, a highly contagious skin condition caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei mite, leading to widespread itchy rashes.

Dr. Ijaz expresses deep concern, primarily due to the limited treatment options available. He notes that outbreaks are more common during winter when people spend more time indoors, exacerbating the shortage of treatments.

While scabies is a widespread issue, affecting around 200 million people globally, England is experiencing a surge in cases beyond the usual levels. Outbreaks have been reported in care homes and university accommodations, particularly in the northern regions.

Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the UK’s Royal College of GPs, reveals that weekly incidences in the north of England remain significantly higher than the national and five-year averages. Recent surveillance reports indicate 1,926 cases across the country between December and January.

The rise in scabies cases in the UK is part of a broader, long-term trend seen across Europe and globally over the past decade. Unlike other infectious diseases, this trend isn't attributed to climate change but rather a combination of factors: shortages in treatment, treatment failures, and the enduring stigma surrounding the disease, deterring some from seeking immediate medical help.

Until treated, scabies mites can reproduce, burrow, and lay eggs under the skin, sustaining cycles of itching and causing sores. The mites easily spread through skin-to-skin contact, such as during sex. Dr. Ijaz notes cases where individuals were infected by their sexual partners, with some data on the UK outbreak coming from sexual health clinics.

Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, explains that the mites can transfer from humans to surfaces like sofas or bedding, contributing to sustained outbreaks. Common in schools, prisons, care homes, and occasionally in hospitals or hostels, scabies mites are resilient and adept at spreading.

The primary treatments for scabies are permethrin and malathion, skin lotions applied to the infected person's body to eliminate mites and eggs. While traditionally effective, recent years have seen increasing reports of treatment failure. A review in the British Journal of Dermatology suggests a failure rate of up to 30%, indicating emerging concerns about mite drug resistance, though much remains unknown about this threat.

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