Mass ivermectin therapy almost eliminates scabies cases
Australian researchers cut prevalence on a Fijian island by 89%
4th July 2019
Two doses of oral ivermectin administered throughout the population is better at dealing with outbreaks of scabies than mass treatment with permethrin, an Australian study shows.
The mass treatment was tried across three of Fiji's island communities, each of which received a different regimen to try to eliminate the microscopic mites that cause the contagious, itchy skin condition.
In all, 823 people were evaluated for the two-year follow-up. More than 85% of the 2403 people on the three islands enrolled in the baseline sample for the