INSIGHTS INTO SCABIES PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS

K NAWAZ; S KHAN; A BIBI

doi:10.54112/bbasr.v2024i1.68

Authors

K NAWAZ Department of Zoology, University of Peshawar, 25000, Pakistan
S KHAN Department of Health and Biological Sciences Abasyn University Peshawar, 25000, Pakistan (S.K)
A BIBI Department of Health and Biological Sciences Abasyn University Peshawar, 25000, Pakistan (S.K)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54112/bbasr.v2024i1.68

Keywords:

Scabies, Prevalence, Age, Gender, Socioeconomic status

Abstract

Scabies is an infectious disease of the skin caused by Sarcoptes scabiei. In the current study, investigation of scabies epidemiology was accompanied by Peshawar and Karak districts to assess the prevalence and main risk factors accountable for the transmission of scabies. A survey was reported on scabies at DHQ Karak and HMC Peshawar from January 2019 to January 2020. Data was collected every month from HMC Peshawar and DHQ Karak. The total reported cases were 571 during study time. The report showed that the frequency of scabies was high during December and January. While lower in August and October. Infestation rates were more in males than females while children and teenagers (1-20 years) were more prone to this condition. The infection was considerably more common in males (51.1%) than females (49.9%), in lower socio-economic levels (52.0%) than the upper (16%) and middle levels (32%), and in those communities living in uncemented houses (70.7%) than living in cemented houses (29.3%). Family size was of no significance. The present result showed that hands and genitalia were affected more as compared to other body parts. About 24% of patients showed scabies infection at more than two sites. During the study general information about scabies was provided to all patients to give them an idea about the severity of infection. Biopsy was also performed but distortion of mite due to itching made it impossible to study its morphology. It is concluded from the present study that scabies infestation is characterized by parasites that cause itching and scratching sensation at night. The findings scabies prevalence is influenced by seasonal variations, demographic factors, socioeconomic status, and housing conditions, and understanding these factors is essential for developing efficient prevention and control strategies to alleviate the scabies burden in affected populations.

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