Largest scabies outbreak in years, especially among youth and students
The number of scabies reports to GPs has not been this high in years. Since late last year, the growth in the number of reports accelerated. Young people and students are expected to suffer from it throughout the fall and winter.
Young people were three times more likely to suffer from scabies (or scabies) last week than other age groups, reports research institute Nivel. This contagious but harmless skin disease is caused by mites that dig tiny holes in the skin and lay eggs in them. This causes tremendous itching.
That students are easy targets for scabies, according to the RIVM, is because of their "poor hygiene conditions combined with high-risk behavior". They sometimes don't change their bedding for weeks at a time, live close together in student houses and have more frequent physical contact. As a result, mites can spread easily.
Sustained rise
It seems the itchy parasites are not going away anytime soon. In 2016, there were an average of 1.8 scabies reports per thousand Dutch people per week, but now that figure appears to have almost doubled. Especially in the past year, the number of reports rose rapidly.
Nivel researcher Mariëtte Hooiveld has no explanation for this. What is clear is that the skin disease occurs less frequently in the summer. "The reports accumulate mainly in autumn and winter."
