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Background: Scabies, a common human skin disease with a prevalence range of 0.2% to 71.4% in the world. It can have a considerable impact on general health leading to illness and death not only through the direct effect of its infestation and as a result of secondary bacterial infection. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of scabies and its associated factors among school-age children in Arba Minch Zuria district, Gamo zone, Southern Ethiopia.
Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in 825 school-age children from February 20 to March 30, 2018. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select study populations. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with scabies. Findings were presented using 95% CI of Crude Odds Ratios (COR) and Adjusted Odds Ratios (AOR). To declare statistical significance, a p-value of less than 0.05 was used.
Results: A total of 825 children participated in the study with a response rate of 97.6%. The overall prevalence of scabies was 16.4% [95% CI: 13.9%, 18.9%]. Overcrowding index, family history of itching in the past two weeks, wealth index, knowledge of scabies, climatic zone (living in the highland area), frequency of washing body, frequency of washing clothes, fingernails cutting practice, history of skin contact with scabies patient, washing hair more than once weekly, and sharing of clothes were significantly associated scabies disease.
Conclusion: In conclusion, the prevalence of scabies in Arba Minch lies at 16.4% in the global scabies range from 0.2% to 71.4%. The prevalence was highest in highlands followed by midland and then lowland. This represents a significant scabies burden which we recommend warrants health service intervention.
