Burden of scabies and bacterial skin infection in Kiribati: results of a national population-based survey 2023Research in context
Summary: Background: Scabies is a treatable neglected tropical disease with a high burden in Pacific island countries. Scabies is strongly associated with bacterial skin infection, which can lead to long-term sequelae. There is a paucity of epidemiologic data from Kiribati relating to scabies and b...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | The Lancet Regional Health. Western Pacific |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666606525001737 |
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| author | Rebecca F. Anderson Temea Bauro Susanna J. Lake Marou Tikataake Matthew Parnaby Jeremy Hill Tanebu J. Tong-Kaunibwe Anneke C. Grobler Revite Kirition Andrew C. Steer |
| author_facet | Rebecca F. Anderson Temea Bauro Susanna J. Lake Marou Tikataake Matthew Parnaby Jeremy Hill Tanebu J. Tong-Kaunibwe Anneke C. Grobler Revite Kirition Andrew C. Steer |
| author_sort | Rebecca F. Anderson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: Background: Scabies is a treatable neglected tropical disease with a high burden in Pacific island countries. Scabies is strongly associated with bacterial skin infection, which can lead to long-term sequelae. There is a paucity of epidemiologic data from Kiribati relating to scabies and bacterial skin infection. Methods: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional survey over three weeks in November 2023 to determine the national prevalence of scabies and bacterial skin infection. Participants were recruited from ten evaluation units across all five divisions of Kiribati, including several outer islands from different island groups. All residents of visited households were eligible to participate. Trained nurses conducted clinical assessments, including focused clinical history and skin examination, for scabies and/or bacterial skin infection. Diagnosis of scabies was based on the 2020 International Alliance for the Control of Scabies diagnostic criteria. Assessment of 10,515 participants was completed. We calculated weighted prevalence, risk ratio (RR), and risk difference (RD), with 95% confidence intervals (CI), for scabies and bacterial skin infection, accounting for clustering by household. Findings: The overall weighted prevalence of scabies was 24.9% (95% CI 22.3–27.8). The highest prevalence was observed among infants aged less than 1 year at 47.2% (95% CI 40.8–53.7). Scabies was classified as moderate to severe in 64.9% (95% CI 59.1–70.2) of cases. The overall prevalence of bacterial skin infection was 7.9% (95% CI 6.8–9.2). The population attributable fraction of bacterial skin infection associated with scabies was 79.5% (95% CI 76.4–82.6). Interpretation: Our findings highlight the high burden of scabies and bacterial skin infection in Kiribati and the need for public health action to reduce the impact of both conditions. Funding: The study was funded by the Cameron Foundation (Australia) and the World Scabies Program, Murdoch Children's Research Institute. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e35eb0b80a3d4a15a225a9df12820aa1 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2666-6065 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Lancet Regional Health. Western Pacific |
| spelling | doaj-art-e35eb0b80a3d4a15a225a9df12820aa12025-07-14T04:15:25ZengElsevierThe Lancet Regional Health. Western Pacific2666-60652025-07-0160101636Burden of scabies and bacterial skin infection in Kiribati: results of a national population-based survey 2023Research in contextRebecca F. Anderson0Temea Bauro1Susanna J. Lake2Marou Tikataake3Matthew Parnaby4Jeremy Hill5Tanebu J. Tong-Kaunibwe6Anneke C. Grobler7Revite Kirition8Andrew C. Steer9Tropical Diseases Research Group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, AustraliaMinistry of Health and Medical Services, South Tarawa, KiribatiTropical Diseases Research Group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Melbourne Children’s Global Health, Melbourne, AustraliaMinistry of Health and Medical Services, South Tarawa, KiribatiTropical Diseases Research Group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Melbourne Children’s Global Health, Melbourne, AustraliaThe University of Sydney, Sydney, AustraliaMinistry of Health and Medical Services, South Tarawa, KiribatiClinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, AustraliaMinistry of Health and Medical Services, South Tarawa, KiribatiTropical Diseases Research Group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Melbourne Children’s Global Health, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Corresponding author. Tropical Diseases Group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.Summary: Background: Scabies is a treatable neglected tropical disease with a high burden in Pacific island countries. Scabies is strongly associated with bacterial skin infection, which can lead to long-term sequelae. There is a paucity of epidemiologic data from Kiribati relating to scabies and bacterial skin infection. Methods: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional survey over three weeks in November 2023 to determine the national prevalence of scabies and bacterial skin infection. Participants were recruited from ten evaluation units across all five divisions of Kiribati, including several outer islands from different island groups. All residents of visited households were eligible to participate. Trained nurses conducted clinical assessments, including focused clinical history and skin examination, for scabies and/or bacterial skin infection. Diagnosis of scabies was based on the 2020 International Alliance for the Control of Scabies diagnostic criteria. Assessment of 10,515 participants was completed. We calculated weighted prevalence, risk ratio (RR), and risk difference (RD), with 95% confidence intervals (CI), for scabies and bacterial skin infection, accounting for clustering by household. Findings: The overall weighted prevalence of scabies was 24.9% (95% CI 22.3–27.8). The highest prevalence was observed among infants aged less than 1 year at 47.2% (95% CI 40.8–53.7). Scabies was classified as moderate to severe in 64.9% (95% CI 59.1–70.2) of cases. The overall prevalence of bacterial skin infection was 7.9% (95% CI 6.8–9.2). The population attributable fraction of bacterial skin infection associated with scabies was 79.5% (95% CI 76.4–82.6). Interpretation: Our findings highlight the high burden of scabies and bacterial skin infection in Kiribati and the need for public health action to reduce the impact of both conditions. Funding: The study was funded by the Cameron Foundation (Australia) and the World Scabies Program, Murdoch Children's Research Institute.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666606525001737ScabiesBacterial skin infectionKiribatiNeglected tropical diseaseMass drug administration |
| spellingShingle | Rebecca F. Anderson Temea Bauro Susanna J. Lake Marou Tikataake Matthew Parnaby Jeremy Hill Tanebu J. Tong-Kaunibwe Anneke C. Grobler Revite Kirition Andrew C. Steer Burden of scabies and bacterial skin infection in Kiribati: results of a national population-based survey 2023Research in context The Lancet Regional Health. Western Pacific Scabies Bacterial skin infection Kiribati Neglected tropical disease Mass drug administration |
| title | Burden of scabies and bacterial skin infection in Kiribati: results of a national population-based survey 2023Research in context |
| title_full | Burden of scabies and bacterial skin infection in Kiribati: results of a national population-based survey 2023Research in context |
| title_fullStr | Burden of scabies and bacterial skin infection in Kiribati: results of a national population-based survey 2023Research in context |
| title_full_unstemmed | Burden of scabies and bacterial skin infection in Kiribati: results of a national population-based survey 2023Research in context |
| title_short | Burden of scabies and bacterial skin infection in Kiribati: results of a national population-based survey 2023Research in context |
| title_sort | burden of scabies and bacterial skin infection in kiribati results of a national population based survey 2023research in context |
| topic | Scabies Bacterial skin infection Kiribati Neglected tropical disease Mass drug administration |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666606525001737 |
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