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Report of an Outbreak of Scabies in Al- Madinah Region, Saudi Arabia, 2018

Introduction

Scabies is a skin disease that caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which pits under the skin and is transmitted through close contact from person to person. The highest rates usually happen in nations with hot, tropical climates, where invasion is endemic, especially if there is overcrowding and poverty in the communities. Around the world, 300 million individuals are plagued with scabies, although the cases are often not reported in humans. Objectives: To confirm the existence of this outbreak. To determine the possible source of the outbreak.

Methodology

Descriptive cross sectional study; data was collected from the Public Health Department, Directorate of Health Affairs, Madinah Region, from the April 2018 to end of May 2018.

Results

The result shows that one hundred and fifty two (152) cases of scabies were recorded from three districts in Madinah Region. Ninety-six (96) cases were male and fifty-six (56) were female. The majority of the cases were children between the ages of 1-10 years old.

Conclusion

Scabies outbreak occurred in Madinah Region 2018, the highest rate of the infected cases 63 % were male and most of them in Madinah city.