Retrospective analysis of scabies cases admitted to a Turkish hospital according to the citizenship status of the patients

Abstract

Objective:Political and armed conflicts cause unprecedented mass migrations from conflict areas. Turkey currently hosts the largest refugee population worldwide. Due to overcrowding and unsanitary conditions, scabies is a serious infectious threat for refugees and host communities. This study aimed toanalyze the scabies cases in a Turkish hospital with reference to their citizenship status.Methods:The study retrospectively covered the period of 2013-2018 during a surge of refugee immigration to Turkey.Results:A total of 2,317 scabies cases were recorded, of which 227 (9.8%) were non-citizens. The number of citizen patients declined by mid-2015, with fewer than ten patients per month for the following 12-month period almost no non-citizen patient presented before and during this period. After mid-2016, however, there was a surge in scabies cases involving non-citizen or citizen patients.Conclusion:The study revealed a marked, parallel increase in the number of scabies cases in both populations in 2016–2018 after one year of suppression of scabies that had been present in the citizen population but was short of demonstrating a causal relationship between the cases in two populations. Nevertheless, the temporally overlapping surges warrant comprehensive surveillance and appropriate treatment approaches.