The prevalence and impact of the co-morbidity of scabies and other neglected tropical diseases in two countries in the Asia-Pacific region

Abstract

Many people living in tropical settings in the developing world are burdened with neglected infectious diseases which remain unaddressed by the health sector. This study conducted baseline and follow-up surveys on a cohort of 900 children of Tuvalu to determine the prevalence and scope of skin infections and intestinal parasites; as well as cross-sectional survey of multiple sites in Timor-Leste.

Results indicated a high prevalence of infectious disease, especially skin infections in both countries with many participants presenting with multiple infections. Scabies and scabies co-infection with secondary bacterial or fungal diseases were the most common presentations in both populations. Intestinal parasites were present in 67% of the children surveyed in Tuvalu where one third of this cohort also had anaemia and abnormal urine results.

Overall these communities show a high burden of co-morbidity, the impact of which is unknown. However, the high proportion of multiple infectious diseases along with the clinical evidence suggests a negative health impact on these populations, which could benefit from multiple interventions in an integrated community-bases disease control programme.