Burden of scabies and bacterial skin infection in Kiribati: results of a national population-based survey 2023

IF 8.1 1区医学 Q1 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES

The Lancet Regional Health: Western Pacific Pub Date : 2025-07-01 DOI:10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101636

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

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Abstract

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.

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基里巴斯的疥疮和细菌性皮肤感染负担：2023年全国人口调查结果

疥疮是一种可治疗的被忽视的热带疾病，在太平洋岛屿国家造成很高的负担。疥疮与细菌性皮肤感染密切相关，可导致长期后遗症。基里巴斯缺乏有关疥疮和细菌性皮肤感染的流行病学数据。方法我们于2023年11月进行了为期三周的社区横断面调查，以确定全国疥疮和细菌性皮肤感染的流行情况。参加者是从基里巴斯所有五个司的十个评价单位征聘的，包括来自不同岛群的几个外岛。所有被访住户均有资格参与。训练有素的护士对疥疮和/或细菌性皮肤感染进行临床评估，包括重点临床病史和皮肤检查。疥疮的诊断基于2020年国际控制疥疮联盟的诊断标准。对10,515名参与者进行了评估。我们计算了疥疮和细菌性皮肤感染的加权患病率、风险比（RR）和风险差（RD）， 95%置信区间（CI），并按家庭进行了聚类。结果：疥疮的总加权患病率为24.9% （95% CI 22.3-27.8）。1岁以下的婴儿患病率最高，为47.2% （95% CI 40.8-53.7）。64.9% （95% CI 59.1-70.2）的病例中疥疮被划分为中度至重度。细菌性皮肤感染的总体患病率为7.9% （95% CI 6.8-9.2）。与疥疮相关的细菌性皮肤感染的人群归因比例为79.5% （95% CI为76.4-82.6）。我们的研究结果强调了基里巴斯疥疮和细菌性皮肤感染的高负担，以及采取公共卫生行动减少这两种疾病影响的必要性。这项研究由卡梅伦基金会（澳大利亚）和世界疥疮项目、默多克儿童研究所资助。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

The Lancet Regional Health: Western Pacific Medicine-Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health

CiteScore

8.80

自引率

2.80%

发文量

305

审稿时长

11 weeks

期刊介绍： The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, a gold open access journal, is an integral part of The Lancet's global initiative advocating for healthcare quality and access worldwide. It aims to advance clinical practice and health policy in the Western Pacific region, contributing to enhanced health outcomes. The journal publishes high-quality original research shedding light on clinical practice and health policy in the region. It also includes reviews, commentaries, and opinion pieces covering diverse regional health topics, such as infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, child and adolescent health, maternal and reproductive health, aging health, mental health, the health workforce and systems, and health policy.