Abstract
Epidemiology and clinical features of scabies remain largely unknown in Nigeria’s rural communities. To fill this gap, we performed a cross-sectional study in three rural communities in north central Nigeria. A total of 500 individuals were included and examined for scabies infestation; a questionnaire was applied to collect socio-demographic and behavioral data. Scabies was diagnosed in 325 (65.0%) participants. Excoriations (68.6%), vesicles (61.8%), and papules (58.8%) were common skin lesions. Itching was the most common symptom (77.5%); 64% complained of sleep disturbances. Lymphadenopathy was identified in 48.3%. Lesions were most commonly encountered on the abdomen (35.5%), inguinal area (19.1%), and interdigital spaces (14.2%). Poverty-related variables, such as illiteracy (OR: 7.15; 95% CI: 3.71–13.95), low household income (7.25; 1.19–88.59), absence of a solid floor inside house (12.17; 2.83–52.34), and overcrowding (1.98; 1.08–2.81) were significantly associated with infestation. Individual behavior, such as sharing of beds/pillows (2.11; 1.42–3.14) and sharing of clothes (2.51; 1.57–3.99), was also highly significantly associated with scabies. Regular bathing habits (0.37; 0.24–0.56) and regular use of bathing soap (0.36; 0.21–0.53) were protective factors. Scabies is extremely common in the communities under study and is associated with considerable morbidity. The disease is intrinsically linked with extreme poverty.
Highlights
Scabies is a common contagious parasitic skin disease and a public health problem, mainly in tropical and subtropical countries [1,2]
The study was conducted in three indigenous communities in the Lafia Local Government Area (LGA) of Nasarawa State
The high prevalence recorded in the present study indicates the under-recognition of the disease in resource-poor communities, and difficult access to the health system
Summary
Scabies is a common contagious parasitic skin disease and a public health problem, mainly in tropical and subtropical countries [1,2]. Hundreds of millions of people suffer from infestation in impoverished urban and rural communities worldwide [3,4,5,6]. Outbreaks of scabies in closed groups have been reported from high income countries, but the disease is more common in resource-poor communities in low and middle income countries in tropical climate zones [7,8,9]. Between 18% and 70% of people are reported to be affected in resource-limited communities in India, on south Pacific islands, and in Australian Aboriginal communities [1,8,12], with severe morbidity being common, such as abscess formation, lymphadenopathy, and post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis [8,13,14,15].
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