THE SUN
The highly contagious condition causes itchy skin, especially at night, and raised rashes.
It spreads quickly through close skin contact and at the moment it is treated by permethrin or malathion.
However, the UK is facing supply problems to ship these drugs in after both the Ukraine war and rise in costs.
As reported by the Guardian, dermatologists and GPs are now scrambling for the medication as areas in the north of England saw a concerning double in reported scabies cases in November.
The shortage has led to some patients forking out for expensive alternatives for “inflated prices” online.
Prof Mabs Chowdhury, the president of the British Association of Dermatologists, told the Guardian this is “something that urgently needs more attention”.
“Unfortunately, the consequences of treatment shortages are proving easy to ignore,” he said.
“There is very limited tracking of scabies cases and people are often embarrassed to talk about it.”
