The Incidence of Scabies in Far North Queensland, Tropical Australia: Implications for Local Clinical Practice and Public Health Strategies
The recognition and treatment of scabies has been incorporated into Australian guidelines for the prevention of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). The incidence of both diagnosed ARF and RHD is increasing in Far North Queensland (FNQ) in northeast tropical Australia, but...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/4/111 |
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| author | Mert Hamdi Korkusuz Maria Eugenia Castellanos Linton R. Harriss Allison Hempenstall Simon Smith Josh Hanson |
| author_facet | Mert Hamdi Korkusuz Maria Eugenia Castellanos Linton R. Harriss Allison Hempenstall Simon Smith Josh Hanson |
| author_sort | Mert Hamdi Korkusuz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The recognition and treatment of scabies has been incorporated into Australian guidelines for the prevention of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). The incidence of both diagnosed ARF and RHD is increasing in Far North Queensland (FNQ) in northeast tropical Australia, but the local burden of scabies is incompletely defined. We reviewed the results of every skin scraping collected in FNQ’s public health system between 2000 and 2023; 121/4345 (2.8%) scrapings were positive, including 19/1071 (1.8%) in the last 5 years of the study; the proportion of scrapings that were positive for scabies declined over the study period. Individuals who tested positive for scabies were no more likely to have had a prior diagnosis of ARF or RHD compared to the matched controls (1/101 (1%) versus 3/101 (3%), <i>p</i> = 1.0). During a median of 14.7 years of follow-up, individuals who tested positive for scabies were also no more likely to have a diagnosis of ARF or RHD than matched controls (2/100 (2%) versus 6/98 (6%); hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.30 (0.06–1.50) <i>p</i> = 0.14). Microbiologically confirmed scabies is uncommon in FNQ and appears to make a limited contribution to the local incidence of ARF and RHD. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-560ef11d9516466a845c696ccf4fc7fd |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2414-6366 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
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| series | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
| spelling | doaj-art-560ef11d9516466a845c696ccf4fc7fd2025-08-20T02:25:12ZengMDPI AGTropical Medicine and Infectious Disease2414-63662025-04-0110411110.3390/tropicalmed10040111The Incidence of Scabies in Far North Queensland, Tropical Australia: Implications for Local Clinical Practice and Public Health StrategiesMert Hamdi Korkusuz0Maria Eugenia Castellanos1Linton R. Harriss2Allison Hempenstall3Simon Smith4Josh Hanson5Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, Cairns, QLD 4870, AustraliaCollege of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, AustraliaCairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, Cairns, QLD 4870, AustraliaCairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, Cairns, QLD 4870, AustraliaCairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, Cairns, QLD 4870, AustraliaCairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, Cairns, QLD 4870, AustraliaThe recognition and treatment of scabies has been incorporated into Australian guidelines for the prevention of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). The incidence of both diagnosed ARF and RHD is increasing in Far North Queensland (FNQ) in northeast tropical Australia, but the local burden of scabies is incompletely defined. We reviewed the results of every skin scraping collected in FNQ’s public health system between 2000 and 2023; 121/4345 (2.8%) scrapings were positive, including 19/1071 (1.8%) in the last 5 years of the study; the proportion of scrapings that were positive for scabies declined over the study period. Individuals who tested positive for scabies were no more likely to have had a prior diagnosis of ARF or RHD compared to the matched controls (1/101 (1%) versus 3/101 (3%), <i>p</i> = 1.0). During a median of 14.7 years of follow-up, individuals who tested positive for scabies were also no more likely to have a diagnosis of ARF or RHD than matched controls (2/100 (2%) versus 6/98 (6%); hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.30 (0.06–1.50) <i>p</i> = 0.14). Microbiologically confirmed scabies is uncommon in FNQ and appears to make a limited contribution to the local incidence of ARF and RHD.https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/4/111scabiesacute rheumatic feverrheumatic heart diseasechronic kidney diseasesocial determinants of healthaboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian health |
| spellingShingle | Mert Hamdi Korkusuz Maria Eugenia Castellanos Linton R. Harriss Allison Hempenstall Simon Smith Josh Hanson The Incidence of Scabies in Far North Queensland, Tropical Australia: Implications for Local Clinical Practice and Public Health Strategies Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease scabies acute rheumatic fever rheumatic heart disease chronic kidney disease social determinants of health aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian health |
| title | The Incidence of Scabies in Far North Queensland, Tropical Australia: Implications for Local Clinical Practice and Public Health Strategies |
| title_full | The Incidence of Scabies in Far North Queensland, Tropical Australia: Implications for Local Clinical Practice and Public Health Strategies |
| title_fullStr | The Incidence of Scabies in Far North Queensland, Tropical Australia: Implications for Local Clinical Practice and Public Health Strategies |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Incidence of Scabies in Far North Queensland, Tropical Australia: Implications for Local Clinical Practice and Public Health Strategies |
| title_short | The Incidence of Scabies in Far North Queensland, Tropical Australia: Implications for Local Clinical Practice and Public Health Strategies |
| title_sort | incidence of scabies in far north queensland tropical australia implications for local clinical practice and public health strategies |
| topic | scabies acute rheumatic fever rheumatic heart disease chronic kidney disease social determinants of health aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian health |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/4/111 |
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