Bibliographic information
GuidelineWHO recommendations on adolescent health: guidelines approved by the WHO guidelines review committee
Year of Publication2017
Issuing InstitutionWorld Health Organization
Recommendation
New
For severe or crusted scabies in HIV-infected children <15 kg,
- topical permethrin 5% (or alternatively benzyl benzoate) until clinically clear, as longer treatments
may be required.
Recommended in favor
Conditional
Certainty of evidence
Very low
Notes and Remarks
- 1)Patients should be advised that the itch and rash may persist up to two weeks even after successful treatment.
- 2)In addition to individual patient management, contact tracing and treatment are necessary to prevent spread of disease and ensure treatment success. All family members and close contacts should be treated simultaneously. In close-contact communities such as nursing homes, hospitals, schools and prisons, all patients and staff are required to have treatment. In addition, household items such as clothes, towels and bedding should be washed, or subjected to heat from an iron or hot clothes dryer (Strong & Johnstone, 2007; Group, 2010). Alternatively the clothes can be placed in sealed bags for a week, by which time the mites will have died.