Scabies cases have tripled in Finland – That’s how long contact is needed for infection – 2024-03-07 10:27:06

The Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) organized a press conference on the current scabies situation on Monday.

Medicinal cream containing permethrin is the most common treatment for scabies. However, according to experts, its effectiveness is not the best. So far, Finnish pharmacies lack more effective drugs, according to experts.

Treatment often fails

A study has been conducted in Austria in which a mutation has been detected in scabies mites, for which the treatment cream was not necessarily effective, says Hus’s chief skin diseases doctor Katariina Hannula-Jouppi.

A similar mutation has been observed in cats and dogs, meaning that the most commonly used treatment cream containing permethrin did not affect the patients. The treatment was successful when the treatment was intensified or the medicine was changed.

– What has been noticed in Hus, Tays and elsewhere, that scabies patients have increased. In Hus, the number of patients has even tripled in recent years. The situation is similar in Tays, Hannula-Jouppi says.

According to the senior doctor, scabies is increasing because the treatment often fails. Scabies is difficult to treat, there is shame about the disease, and not all family members may be treated with medication.

Medicine alone is not enough for treatment, but in addition, to get rid of scabies, you need a thorough house cleaning.

Experts also emphasize that it is not recommended to use scabies medicine for animals.

The patient will have to pay for the anti-scabies medicine

Experts from THL and Fimea will speak at the press conference. Joni Haavisto / AOP

Fimea specialist Maid Vuorela says that pharmaceutical companies themselves decide whether they apply for a marketing authorization for a new drug. After that, it will be decided whether it will be brought to the Finnish market. Pharmaceutical companies decide the price and Fimea cannot influence it.

Reimo Palonen The Medicines Price Committee (Hila) commented on the Kela compensability of scabies medicines.

– The reimbursability of the medicine is requested from Hila, which makes a decision on reimbursability and price based on the application. Scabies medicines are not reimbursable because the holders have not applied for reimbursability or a wholesale price for them. That’s why the authorities can’t take the matter into consideration ex officio, Palonen says.

– The cost of the medicine remains to be paid by the patient or another party. The replaceability of society is not possible.

Guilty torture increased

Syphilis diagnoses have increased in Finland in recent years. According to THL’s statistics, more than 37,000 syphilitic diagnoses were recorded in Finland last year, compared to just over 21,000 a year earlier.

Professor of Dermatology, Emerita Erna Snellman previously commented to Iltalehti that the increase in cases seen in the scabies statistics is only a wave crest. According to Snellman, “the situation is probably worse”.

Many readers of Iltalehti have told about a long-standing syphilitic pain, the drugs needed to treat it have become expensive.