Scabies: Waikato University student says treatment barriers led to six infections
A University of Waikato student reports struggling with six consecutive scabies infections, citing significant barriers to accurate diagnosis and treatment. The student claims the condition is prevalent in university halls, though the institution denies it is widespread.
Why it matters
The story highlights challenges in public health accessibility and the difficulty of managing contagious skin conditions in communal living environments.
Scabies is a highly contagious skin condition. Photo / 123RF
A university student who has contracted scabies six times says it took four doctors and six months to diagnose his first bout of the highly contagious skin condition.
The 20-year-old University of Waikato student, who wished to remain anonymous, said the first time he contracted the condition, he saw four doctors over six months to identify it.
“I think it’s really easy to treat it and then [you] step back in uni again, bang you’ve got it.
“It’s so easy to spread but so hard to get rid of.”
He said he first contracted the infection in 2024 when he was living in the university’s halls of residence, an environment he claims “scabies runs rampant”.
“Everyone’s got it all the time. And you can kind of see it,” he said.
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