What is scabies, and why are cases on the rise across the UK?

Supply chain problems are among the factors leading to medical professionals struggling to get people scabies-free quickly, ITV News Digital Producer Zahra Errami reports

A shortage of medication has led to a surge in scabies cases, according to new information revealed by The Guardian.

The situation poses a major threat to public health, the newspaper reported, with a lack of medication having caused a "nightmare," medical professionals told the newspaper.

"The shortage of scabies treatments is something that urgently needs more attention. Scabies spreads easily and if people aren’t treated, then it will continue to spread," President of the British Association of Dermatologists Professor Mabs Chowdhury said.

What is scabies?

Scabies is an itchy rash caused by mites. It can spread from person to person through skin contact.

The mites feed on and burrow into the outer layer of the skin, where they lay eggs. The larvae then hatch and move to the surface of the skin, where they mature into adults.

Scabies symptoms include intense itchiness, particularly at night, and a raised rash or spots.

A scabies rash usually spreads across the whole body, apart from the head and neck, and often affects skin around the fingers, wrists, under the arms, and around the waist, groin and bottom.

Scabies is very infectious, but it can take up to eight weeks for a rash to appear.

Outbreaks typically happen during the winter period as people spend more time indoors where they are physically closer to one another.

How is it treated?

Scabies does need to be treated with medication. In the UK, permethrin cream or malathion lotion are typically prescribed to kill the mites.

The treatment is applied across the whole body and is then repeated a week later.

Everybody sharing a home with somebody being treated for scabies also needs to be treated, even if they don't have symptoms.

Why is there a lack of medication?

There is a lack of both treatments in the UK, the report said, as a result of supply chain problems, the war in Ukraine, and an increase in the cost of raw materials.

Medical professionals are struggling to treat patients quickly and prevent scabies from spreading, causing a spike in cases.

In the north of England there were twice the usual number of cases in November.

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