In response to the interest expressed, the WHO will begin convening experts to review the available data to develop a control plan for infestation with Sarcoptes scabiei. Additionally, the WHO is working to ensure that quality, effective medications will be accessible to the countries that need them. Scabies is a common skin infestation found worldwide and is caused by a microscopic obligate parasite (Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis) that relies on the human host for survival.
It affects people of all races and social classes and can spread easily under crowded conditions. The adult female scabies mites burrow into the upper layer of the skin (epidermis) where they live and deposit their eggs. Transmission occurs primarily by the transfer of the impregnated female mite during person-to-person skin-to-skin contact, or via fomites (e.g., bedding or clothing). When a person is infested…
