A lack of understanding about what scabies is and how it’s treated could be behind the United Kingdom’s sudden spike in cases, experts say.
When we think of scabies, we tend to think of 19th-century London: its gloomy streets swollen with people covered in rashes, vehemently scratching themselves.
But scabies is far from an itch-inducing nightmare of the past. In fact, cases of the infectious skin disease are reportedly on the rise in the United Kingdom.
Current rates of scabies remain above the five-year rolling average, according to the Royal College of General Practitioners’ Research and Surveillance Centre, while annual increases were also recorded between 2021 and 2025 by the UK Health Security Agency - with a significant surge since 2023.
A similar picture has been building across Europe, with an increase of 99 to 1341 scabies incidents per 100,000 people between 2014 and 2023, as reported in the journal BJGP Open.
The condition was named after the Latin word for 'to scratch' by Roman author Aulus Cornelius Celsus in 25 AD. It is caused by microscopic mites that burrow into the outer layer of the skin, causing raised rashes or spots and intense itching that intensifies at night, according to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).
Apart from the face and neck, the rash spread across the entire body, most commonly affecting warm, moist areas such as the groin, skin beneath breasts and webs between fingers and toes. It’s primarily spread through direct and prolonged skin contact with someone carrying the infection.
“In rare cases, it can also be transmitted through infested towels, clothing, or bedding. Pets do not carry human scabies mites, so the disease does not spread from animals to humans,” Dr Aleksandar Godic, a consultant dermatologist at The Harley Street Dermatology Clinic in London, told Euronews Health.
Why are cases of scabies rising?
A prevalent disease since ancient times, cases of scabies have always waxed and waned - but their reported numbers have never been entirely reliable due to a mixture of misunderstanding and societal stigma.
“Lots of people will not go and see a doctor about it or just get treatment themselves at a pharmacy, or not even know they've necessarily got it,” Tess McPherson, a professor from the British Association of Dermatologists, told Euronews Health.
She said dermatologists have seen a notable spike in scabies cases in the last four to five years, however, and particularly in younger people. This could correlate with people returning to communal in-person spaces after the COVID-19 pandemic, but also aligns with a broader lack of understanding about what scabies is.
“I think there’s a lot of misinformation; people not knowing what it is and a lot of stigma attached. So people, even if they know they have it, they're not telling people, which is probably an ongoing issue,” McPherson said.
She also cited supply issues for certain treatments in 2021-2022, and people not treating themselves - and others close to them that might be infected - properly.
“We think a lot of the problems were that people just weren't using [the treatments] properly or contacts weren't all using them at the same time. So that then creates more and more scabies and more people getting reinfested.”
How do you know if a rash is scabies?
Lots of skin conditions can cause itchy rashes, including eczema, psoriasis, and hives. Scabies’ proclivity for inhabiting groins has also led to it being commonly confused with sexually transmitted infections like pubic lice.
This difficulty to diagnose - and scabies’ resulting long -term persistence - even inspired the term ‘seven-year itch’ in the early 1800s.
The most defining characteristic to look out for, according to Godic, is the presence of small, curved burrows on the skin.
“Other common symptoms include small, weepy spots, redness and swelling, intense itching, especially at night or in warm environments, inflamed, scaly scratch marks, often resembling severe eczema,” he said.
“Scabies can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms mimic other skin conditions. If left untreated, it can persist for months or even years and may spread to family members, friends, and intimate partners.”
Although uncomfortable, scabies is not life-threatening and rarely a cause for serious concern.
How is scabies treated?
Scabies is most commonly treated with medicated creams or lotions that contain permethrin or malathion to kill the mites. More severe cases, like crusted scabies (also known as Norwegian scabies), sometimes require a prescription of oral Ivermectin (an antiparasitic drug), according to Godic.
“Since the itching is caused by an allergic reaction, symptoms may persist even after the mites are eliminated. To relieve discomfort, doctors may prescribe topical steroid creams for inflammation and itchiness,” he explained.
The rash can also remain for up to two months following treatment. All bedding and clothing should be washed at 60 degrees celsius or higher, too, or left in a sealed bag for at least three days, the NHS states.
As with all infectious diseases, anyone you’ve been in close contact with also needs to be treated - even if they don’t show symptoms. Scabies can take up to 8 weeks to first appear, making it easy to initially miss.
“It's important to get treatments if you're itchy, if you've been in contact with scabies, if you think you might have scabies,” McPherson said. “The treatments do work if you use them properly and there's nothing to be embarrassed about.”
