The state ended 2020 with more than 2 thousand patients with scabies, a disease commonly known in Mexico as “sarna”.
Quintana Roo, Mexico (January 21, 2021) .-The state of Quintana Roo had the highest number of scabies cases in humans in Southeast Mexico, according to data from the federal Health Secretariat.
According to the most recent report of the National Epidemiological Surveillance System (Sinave), Quintana Roo closed last year with 2,455 cases of scabies, surpassing Yucatan, Tabasco, and Campeche, states of the Southeast Region.
But that is not all the statistics revealed; it was also on the list of the eight entities at a national level with the highest number.
In the national list, from highest to lowest are Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, Nayarit, Sinaloa, Guerrero and lastly Quintana Roo.
According to the federal Health Ministry, scabies is an itchy skin disease caused by a mite and is commonly known as “Sarna”.
“It is a skin infection caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei mite of the hominis variety that produces an intensely itchy rash, predominantly nocturnal, with a distribution pattern that is transmitted by direct contact or clothing where the parasite remains for 2-5 days,” reported the General Health Council.
It can be contracted at home or outdoors, such as offices, nursing homes, to mention a few, where the mite is found. It can even be contracted through a simple handshake or sexual intercourse.
Medical treatment includes medications applied from the neck downward to kill the parasite.
Symptoms may appear up to six weeks after infection, although for those who have already contracted it, it may appear within three days. In the summer months it may be complicated due to Staph infection.
The recommendation of the Ministry of Health is to go to hospitals for proper medical treatment.