Title: InoTechLife: A Blog About Innovative Technology and Lifestyle.

 In recent months, Dr. Naveed Ijaz, a general practitioner specializing in dermatology in Manchester, UK, has noticed an increase in patients at his clinic presenting with intensely itchy rashes. The culprit is scabies, a highly contagious skin condition caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei mite, leading to these itchy rashes spreading across the body.

Dr. Ijaz expresses extreme concern, primarily due to the shortage of available treatments. He notes that outbreaks tend to occur more frequently in winter when people spend more time together indoors, exacerbating the shortage of treatments.

While scabies is widespread, affecting around 200 million people worldwide, cases in England are rising significantly above typical levels. Reports indicate outbreaks in care homes and university accommodations, particularly in the northern part of the country.

Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the UK’s Royal College of GPs, mentions that weekly incidences per 100,000 for the north of England remain well above the national and five-year average. Recent surveillance reports detail 1,926 cases across the country between early December and January.

The surge in cases in the UK is part of a broader, longer trend. Scabies cases have consistently increased across Europe and globally for a decade. Unlike other infectious diseases linked to climate change, this surge is attributed to a combination of factors—treatment shortages, treatment failures, and the persistent stigma surrounding the disease that hinders some from seeking immediate medical attention.

Until scabies is treated, mites can reproduce, burrow, and lay eggs under the skin, causing sores and cycles of itching to persist. The mites can easily be transmitted to others, particularly through skin-to-skin contact, such as during sex. Dr. Ijaz has seen cases where individuals were infected by a sexual partner. Some data on the current UK outbreak has come from sexual health clinics.

Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, explains that the mites can crawl off humans onto sofas or bedding, contributing to sustained outbreaks. This is common in schools, prisons, care homes, and occasional outbreaks in hospital wards or hostels. The mite is relatively common, hardy, and unfortunately effective at its job.

The two main treatments for scabies, permethrin, and malathion, are skin lotions applied across an infected person’s body to kill all mites and eggs. Traditionally effective, recent years have seen growing reports of treatment failures. A review published by the British Journal of Dermatology notes a treatment failure rate as high as 30 percent. Drug resistance among mites is an emerging concern, with relatively little known about this threat.

Jo Middleton, a research fellow at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, involved in scabies research, highlights the difficulty of eradicating outbreaks. Bedding and furniture need complete decontamination, and medicines like permethrin are challenging to use. In the UK, a months-long severe shortage of treatments exists, attributed to pandemic-related supply chain issues and Brexit-related import problems. Current high demand swiftly depletes any stock reaching the UK.

Researchers argue for more rigorous surveillance of potential scabies outbreaks, especially considering research showing that untreated scabies can lead to secondary skin infections. Vulnerable patients, such as those in care homes, are at risk, and these bacteria can cause organ damage.

Scabies has long been neglected, possibly due to its stigma as a “disease of the unwashed.” Rates are sometimes reported as higher in overcrowded conditions, but researchers stress that blaming disadvantaged populations without evidence is unwarranted. Outbreaks are more common in care homes and among university students.

Misinformation surrounds scabies. In the global south, scabies is effectively managed with the oral medication ivermectin. Studies show two doses of ivermectin effectively eliminate the disease in 98 percent of patients. However, ivermectin is not routinely used for scabies in the UK, attributed to false claims about its potential uses for treating Covid-19.

Doctors like Dr. Ijaz hope the current UK outbreak can be managed through more effective public health campaigns. Proper education is crucial to prevent mismanagement, such as mistaking post-treatment itching for a recurrence, leading to more treatment shortages.

1. Dr. Naveed Ijaz
2. Dermatology
3. Scabies
4. Sarcoptes scabiei mite
5. Itchy rashes
6. Treatment shortages
7. Winter outbreaks
8. Care homes
9. University accommodations
10. Kamila Hawthorne
11. Royal College of GPs
12. Incidence rates
13. Outbreaks in England
14. Global scabies trend
15. Treatment failures
16. Stigma
17. Transmission
18. Michael Head
19. Research fellow
20. Permethrin and malathion
21. Drug resistance
22. Supply chain issues
23. Brexit-related import problems
24. Surveillance
25. Secondary skin infections
26. Vulnerable populations
27. Ivermectin
28. Misinformation
29. Public health campaigns
30. Education efforts