International journal of dermatology
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Scabies community prevalence and mass drug administration in two Fijian villages.
Scabies has been estimated to affect approximately 300 million people worldwide each year. Scabies rates are high and pose a significant public health problem in Fiji. Community-based comparison treatment trials have not been undertaken. We estimated scabies prevalence and compared the efficacy and tolerability of mass drug administration (MDA) of benzyl benzoate lotion (BB) or oral ivermectin (IVM) in two villages in Fiji. ⋯ Our study provides proof of principle that MDA for scabies can reduce scabies prevalence at the community level, and that there was no significant difference in this trial between BB and oral IVM.