Improving the diagnosis of scabies in low-resource settings

Abstract

Scabies is a parasitic disease and a global health problem that predominantly affects disadvantaged communities in low-resource settings. Scabies significantly impacts the health and quality of life of those with the disease. To accurately assess the global burden of disease and to compare data across regions, standardised diagnosis with consistent disease definitions is necessary. In low-resource settings, diagnosis by clinical assessment is the principal diagnostic method. In the absence of available experts, non-expert health workers are likely to play critical roles in diagnosis, including for prevalence mapping. Currently, standardised processes for clinical diagnosis for scabies do not..