Clinical presentation and risk factors of increased scabies cases in the Western region of Saudi Arabia in 2016-2018

Assessment of Knowledge and Fear of Scabies in a Saudi Population

Background and Objectives

Scabies is a common contagious parasitic dermatological illness. In 2017, WHO recognized scabies as a neglected tropical disease. The aim of the present research was to assess the level of knowledge and fear of scabies among the Saudi population.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional online study conducted in the western region of Saudi Arabia from January to September 2019. We used a validated, 12-questions questionnaire to assess the scabies knowledge and the Fear of Scabies Scale-10 (FSS-10) to determine the level of fear toward scabies.

Results

A total of 3778 respondents were included with majorities of them being female and between the age of 15-30 years. About 93.3% of the respondents were considered to have good level of knowledge towards scabies and those were more likely to be females, live in an urban area, have heard about scabies in the past, younger in age, achieved higher educational level, and work for the medical and general education sector (all P <0.001). The total possible scores ranging from 10 (less fear) to 40 (greater fear). The mean total FSS-10 score was 33 ± 4.46 with 58.3% of them were considered to have greater fear and those were more likely to be female, younger in age, educated with higher educational degree, work for the general education sector and medical and, but less likely to be unemployed (all P <0.001). Partial correlation adjusting for potential confounders showed significant positive correlation between FSS-10 score and the scabies knowledge score (r = 0.152, P <0.001).

Conclusion

Despite the good level of scabies knowledge, the level of fear towards scabies is high. Further educational programs recommended decreasing the negative effect of scabies on the community and the individuals' quality of life.

Prevalence of scabies in long-term care hospitals in South Korea

BACKGROUND

Scabies is a common contagious skin disease. With the economic growth in South Korea, the incidence of scabies has decreased. However, with the recent advancements in medical facilities, mainly the establishment of long-term care hospitals (LTCHs), scabies is now considered an emerging public health problem.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

To examine the prevalence and management of scabies in LTCHs in South Korea, we contacted all 1,336 LTCHs registered at the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in South Korea in 2018. A total of 110 LTCHs completed a questionnaire, and we analyzed their responses. In the last 5 years, 71.8% (79/110) of LTCHs had a high incidence of scabies (suspected/confirmed cases). Usually, patients aged older than 80 years (45.5%) were diagnosed with the disease, with more women being affected than men. Only 30.0% of the patients were transferred to scabies-restricted rooms, and very few LTCHs (7.0%) had special departments for scabies. Fifty-five (61.1%) of 90 LTCHs reported contact between scabies patients and nurses, nurse aides, caregivers, and other employees (hereinafter, referred to as primary exposure), with 29 (32.2%) LTCHs reporting infections due to primary exposure. The most common challenges in managing scabies were patient isolation (47.8%), diagnosis (31.1%), management of individuals exposed to an individual with scabies (17.8%), lack of staff for managing the patients (16.7%), and treatment (11.1%).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence rate of scabies in LTCHs in South Korea has increased. Regular and enhanced staff training is needed, considering that most hospitals rarely focused on the handling of equipment and furniture used by scabies patients and on educating their healthcare staff. These findings can be used to develop various strategies to reduce the prevalence of scabies.

Assessing knowledge of scabies among physicians working in primary health care setting

Background:

Outbreaks of scabies have been documented in 2018 among school children in Western and Central regions of Saudi Arabia. There have been concerns about the awareness of healthcare providers.

Objective:

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the knowledge of primary health care physicians about scabies diagnosis and management, as well as the factors influencing such knowledge.

Methods:

An observational cross-sectional study was conducted between September and October 2019. The target population was physicians working in primary care centers in Riyadh. Filling either hard or soft copies of the study questionnaire was used for data collection. The knowledge score was calculated from the answers for 16 knowledge questions.

Results:

A total of 216 physicians were included in the final analysis, mainly general practitioners (56.5%) and registrars (31.5%). The overall knowledge score was 67.5%± 13.9%. The highest level of knowledge was associated with age susceptibility (80.6%), followed by clinical presentation and diagnosis (78.1%), mode of transmission (75.8%), pathogen cause & incubation period (66.9%), and finally management (61.7%). In multivariate logistic regression models, a shorter time since last time information about scabies was reviewed was significantly associated with better knowledge (defined as score > median), with odds ratio = 5.84 (95% confidence interval = 2.43–14.01). Similarly, older age and higher qualification were significantly associated with better knowledge.

Discussion:

As expected, the knowledge about scabies among primary care physicians was generally inadequate. The current findings highlight the need for educational and training programs lead by health care authorities, targeting these physicians.