Burden of scabies in a Ghanaian penitentiary.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is a dearth of information concerning the epidemiology of human scabies in prisons. Therefore, we aimed to assess the burden of scabies and ascertain if prevalence was high enough to warrant mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin in a medium security prison in central Ghana.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study in December 2022 and recruited inmates at the Kumasi central prison in Ghana. Medical history and demographic information was collected using a REDCap questionnaire. A standardised skin examination of exposed regions of the body was performed on all participants and scabies was diagnosed based on the criteria of the International Alliance for the Control of Scabies (IACS).

Results

Of the 559 participants, 19 (3.4%) were female.

SUBMITTER: Amoako YA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11623463 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature