Investigating the epidemiology and outbreaks of scabies in Japanese households, residential care facilities, and hospitals using claims data: the Longevity Improvement & Fair Evidence (LIFE) study

Objectives

This study aimed to characterize the epidemiology of scabies and its outbreaks in Japanese households, residential care facilities (RCFs), and hospitals using claims data.

Methods

This descriptive epidemiological study was conducted using claims data from eight municipalities in Japan. Scabies cases were identified using a combination of recorded diagnoses and administered medications. The study period was from April 2015 to March 2019. Outbreaks were defined as ≥2 cases of scabies occurring within a calendar month at a single household, RCF, or hospital.

Results

We identified 857 scabies cases for analysis. The annual prevalence of scabies ranged from 40 to 67 per 100,000 beneficiaries. The annual attack rate of scabies was found to be highest in RCFs (21 per 1000 RCFs), followed by hospitals (11 per 1000 hospitals) and households (0.25 per 1000 households). The annual outbreak attack rate was also highest in RCFs (4.0 per 1000 RCFs), followed by hospitals (1.6 per 1000 hospitals) and household (0.027 per household). The patterns of outbreaks varied widely among the RCFs.

Conclusions

The study showcases the potential of claims data for detecting infectious disease outbreaks, which could provide valuable insight for the future management and prevention of scabies. Infection control of scabies in RCFs is crucial in aging societies.