Scabies cases surge in Netherlands, hitting daycares and nursing homes
The number of scabies infections in the Netherlands has risen sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic, spreading from students to daycare centers and nursing homes. A nationwide study led by Erasmus MC aims to control the outbreaks, including exploring rapid self-testing as a possible tool, AD reported.
Before the pandemic, scabies was rare. In 2014, about 100 people per 100,000 residents were affected. By 2020, the number had risen to 260 per 100,000, and three years later, infections had quadrupled. Cases remained high in 2024, though slightly lower than the peak.
Wilma Stolk, a public health researcher at Erasmus MC, will lead the study. She emphasized that scabies has long been overlooked. “It actually is exactly the problem now. Because it was a forgotten disease, very little research and development has been done,” Stolk told AD.
Scabies symptoms, including intensely itchy red spots, typically appear four to six weeks after infection. People become contagious after just two weeks.
The study will focus on faster diagnosis. Possible approaches include a self-test and an image database to help doctors identify the disease, since scabies is rarely seen in clinical practice.
Researchers are also testing whether examining washing machine water could detect infections in institutions like nursing homes earlier.
Scabies mites can survive outside the human body for days, including on clothing or furniture, complicating prevention. Stolk noted that anyone who had contact with an infected person in the previous weeks should be treated, even if they show no symptoms.
The challenges are illustrated by an outbreak at Scheldehof nursing home in Vlissingen in 2023. Frank Passchier, the location manager, said one resident’s infection went unnoticed at first. “The parasites under the skin of this resident had exploded and were already in the air,” he told AD. The resident’s weakened immune system allowed the mites to multiply before detection.
When the diagnosis was confirmed, Passchier realized the scale of the outbreak. “In my more than forty-year career, I had never seen this before. But when the diagnosis came, I knew it was something big.” All 127 residents required treatment with ointment, using 450 tubes and 200 toothbrushes.
Several staff members were also infected. Passchier said the condition was hard to identify because many residents already have skin issues from being bedridden or using wheelchairs. The entire facility had to be treated and cleaned thoroughly, with a repeat treatment two weeks later. “If you miss anything, it can come back immediately,” he told the newspaper.
“For some of the staff from the affected residents’ department, the infection returned three times. They hardly dare to receive visitors at home, so afraid of infecting anyone else,” Passchier said.
