Study exposes hidden scabies crisis in overcrowded prisons
A new study reveals that over 54% of male inmates at Kiambu Main Prison in Kenya are infected with scabies. Researchers are calling for urgent improvements in hygiene, screening, and overcrowding to address this public health crisis.
Why it matters
The findings highlight the severe health risks associated with prison overcrowding and the neglect of infectious diseases in correctional facilities.
A man hands affected by scabies, an infectious disease caused by tiny mites burrowing into the skin / MSF
More than half of the male inmates examined at Kiambu Main Prison had scabies, according to a new study that has raised concerns about the spread of the disease in overcrowded correctional facilities.
The study found that 54.8 per cent of the male inmates examined were infected, making it the first published research to measure the burden of scabies in a Kenyan prison since the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the disease as a neglected tropical disease in 2017.
Scientists from Amref International University, the Technical University of Kenya and Maseno University examined 188 male inmates between May and June using internationally recognised diagnostic criteria.
They found a scabies prevalence of 54.8 per cent, almost three times higher than the average reported in prisons across Africa.
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