Scabies: An Epidemiologic Reassessment
Abstract
Scabies is a highly contagious parasitic infestation whose exact nature is unknown. A reassessment of epidemiologic data questions accepted ideas such as that scabies is a sexually transmitted disease; 30-year cycles of scabies epidemics exist; changes in the immune status of the host population (herd immunity) are epidemiologically significant; fomite transmission is rare; and blacks are resistant to the mite. Scabies epidemics are due to several factors and improved surveillance is needed before the disease can be better controlled.
Article and Author Information
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▸From the Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, Ohio.
- © 1983 American College of Physicians
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