The Public Health Agency is confident that Catalonia will not break the record for scabies outbreaks.

The Public Health Agency of Catalonia is confident that Catalonia will not break the record for scabies outbreaks.given the numbers that show the country is on track to surpass the high recorded in 2022. ElNacional.cat, ASPCAT is optimistic and notes that “it is not necessary” that the peak of 216 outbreaks in 2022 will be exceeded, “because it is during the summer period that more cases are usually recorded.” “There is also a very important component to improving the notification of surveillance services as a result of a pandemic and therefore improving outbreak detection,” they add.

The fact is that the latest data from the Ministry of Health (consulted by this remedy) shows that this year there were 196 outbreaks of scabies with 719 people affected, only up to July 27th. In other words, in just over half a year, the maximum recorded in 2022 was equaled: 216 outbreaks with 1204 affected. The difference is minimal, with just 20 outbreaks and 485 casualties, suggesting a new record could be reached in 2023. But it is also true thatthe number of cases per outbreak has dropped significantly“, as emphasized by the Public Health Agency of Catalonia (ASPCAT).

Cases of an outbreak of scabies in Catalonia

This decrease “indicates that actions performed jointly by different objects are generally faster and prevent them from spreading more.” “The change is very relevant,” they say. And this is that in 2018 there were 9 cases per outbreak (120 outbreaks with 1067 affected); Bye in 2022 this was reduced to 6 cases per outbreak (216 outbreaks with 1204 affected). This year, until July 27, we are talking about 4 cases per outbreak (196 outbreaks with 719 affected), which again represents a marked decrease. “In this sense, the number of cases per outbreak is more important than the total number of outbreaks,” they note in ASPCAT. It must be remembered that an outbreak occurs from two cases in the same place and period.

Finally, the Public Health Agency of Catalonia insists on the importance of disinfecting the premises, “because no matter how well the treatment is carried out, if the house is not disinfected, infections continue.” “Scabies is like lice, very annoying, especially in the elderly, but it is not a serious disease and is unlikely to cause decompensation in serious illness,” they conclude. In this regard, Canal Salut also reports that it is “a parasitic disease caused by a mite called Sarcoptes scabiei“: “It is transmitted by direct and prolonged contact with the skin of an ill person or with recently used tissues such as clothing, sheets or towels. It usually affects the hands and feet, especially between the fingers, the inside of the wrists, and the underarms, but can also appear on the elbows and around the chest, genitals, navel, and buttocks. It appears as blisters and pustules (small blisters containing pus) and in some cases can lead to bacterial infections when the lesions are scratched. There is a more serious form of scabies called crusted or Norwegian scabies that can affect people with weakened immune systems.”