Call for skin disease awareness

By LULU MARK
MORE awareness on scabies (kaskas) in the communities is needed at this time to address an outbreak in Port Moresby and around the country, a health manager says.
This particular variety of scabies seems to be resistant to standard treatment with some calling it “community work”, “wege wege” and even a statement “I don’t care” when referring to the skin condition that has been recorded in communities around the country affecting children and adults.
Leading health professionals, including Prof Glen Mola from the UPNG school of medicine and health sciences, have taken to social media stating that there is a scabies epidemic in PNG highlighting also the lack of scabies lotions in government health facilities to treat the condition.
When The National visited Badili clinic on Monday, manager Sr Tina Peter said 25 per cent of patients they saw each day were those with the skin infection, but the clinic had run out of scabies lotion in March and was still waiting for its supply.
She said patients were advised to use various home remedies and maintain good hygiene.
City Pharmacy Ltd (CPL) nurse manager Sandra Cunningham said scabies was a very contagious itchy skin condition caused by a tiny burrowing mite (Sacroptes scabiei).
She said the scabies seen was not a new variety and could be treated successfully with the scabies cream or lotion which had to be applied consistently over infected area after a bath for three to five days.
Cunningham said once treated promptly the scabies would clear up, however if left to spread it was harder to treat.
She also clarified that antibiotics did not kill the mites but only addressed the infections caused by the scabies.
“CPL has 16 nurses in the National Capital District and each one can see four to six children with scabies in a day (that is more than 50 patients),” she said.
“We see a lot of patients with scabies repeatedly coming and it’s so much that sometimes we get really upset because no matter how much we educate the people, the message is not getting out there.
“The main reason is people don’t use the medication properly.
“When a child or adult has scabies everyone in the house must be treated at the same time.
“When treating the scabies it is important to wash all the clothes and beddings with hot water (or just tap water) and dry them in the
sun.
“If people do not have access to enough water then place all the clothes and beddings into a laundry plastic, tie it and leave it for 72 hours (three days) to kill the mites.”
Cunningham said scabies was preventable and treatable but people needed to be informed on how to treat it, hence awareness campaigns were needed.