The public health control of scabies: priorities for research and action

Daniel Engelman; Paul T Cantey; Michael Marks; Anthony W Solomon; Aileen Y Chang; Olivier Chosidow; Wendemagegn Enbiale; Dirk Engels; Roderick J Hay; David Hendrickx; Peter J Hotez; John M Kaldor; Mike Kama; Charles D Mackenzie; James S McCarthy; Diana L Martin; Birhan Mengistu; Toby Maurer; Nebiyu Negussu; Lucia Romani; Oliver Sokana; Margot J Whitfeld; L Claire Fuller; Andrew C Steer

doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31136-5

The public health control of scabies: priorities for research and action

Lancet. 2019 Jul 6;394(10192):81-92. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31136-5. Epub 2019 Jun 6.

Authors

Daniel Engelman¹, Paul T Cantey², Michael Marks³, Anthony W Solomon², Aileen Y Chang⁴, Olivier Chosidow⁵, Wendemagegn Enbiale⁶, Dirk Engels⁷, Roderick J Hay⁸, David Hendrickx⁹, Peter J Hotez¹⁰, John M Kaldor¹¹, Mike Kama¹², Charles D Mackenzie¹³, James S McCarthy¹⁴, Diana L Martin¹⁵, Birhan Mengistu¹⁶, Toby Maurer⁴, Nebiyu Negussu¹⁶, Lucia Romani¹¹, Oliver Sokana¹⁷, Margot J Whitfeld¹⁸, L Claire Fuller¹⁹, Andrew C Steer²⁰

Affiliations

¹ Tropical Diseases Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of General Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
³ Clinical Research Department, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
⁴ Department of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁵ Department of Dermatology, Hôpital Henri-Mondor, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Créteil, France; Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne, Créteil, France.
⁶ Department of Dermatovenerology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
⁷ Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases, Switzerland.
⁸ Department of Dermatology, King's College London, London, UK.
⁹ Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
¹⁰ National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
¹¹ The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
¹² Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Suva, Fiji.
¹³ The Taskforce for Global Health, Decatur, GA, USA.
¹⁴ QIMR Berghoefer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
¹⁵ Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
¹⁶ Federal Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
¹⁷ Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
¹⁸ Department of Dermatology, St Vincent's Hospital, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
¹⁹ Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, UK; International Foundation for Dermatology, London, UK.
²⁰ Tropical Diseases Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of General Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Abstract

Scabies is a parasitic disease of the skin that disproportionately affects disadvantaged populations. The disease causes considerable morbidity and leads to severe bacterial infection and immune-mediated disease. Scientific advances from the past 5 years suggest that scabies is amenable to population-level control, particularly through mass drug administration. In recognition of these issues, WHO added scabies to the list of neglected tropical diseases in 2017. To develop a global control programme, key operational research questions must now be addressed. Standardised approaches to diagnosis and methods for mapping are required to further understand the burden of disease. The safety of treatments for young children, including with ivermectin and moxidectin, should be investigated. Studies are needed to inform optimum implementation of mass treatment, including the threshold for intervention, target, dosing, and frequency. Frameworks for surveillance, monitoring, and evaluation of control strategies are also necessary.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Global Health
Humans
Mass Drug Administration
Neglected Diseases / prevention & control*
Population Surveillance
Public Health
Scabies / prevention & control*
World Health Organization

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding