ArticleClinical and experimental dermatology2022
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on head lice and scabies infestation dynamics: a population-based study in France.
Article in Clinical and experimental dermatology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Head Lice: A Revised View of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Transmission and Prevalence.Acta parasitologica · 2026Review
- Stigma, Perceptions, and Parental Responses to Children's Head Lice Infestation in Greece.The Journal of school health · 2026Article
- Epidemiological and molecular insights into human lice (Anoplura: Pediculidae) in France: genetic diversity and DNA barcoding.Parasite (Paris, France) · 2026Article
- Changes inThe Journal of international medical research · 2025Article
- Dynamical analysis of scabies delayed epidemic model with second-order global stability.PloS one · 2025Article
- Resurgence of scabies in Italy: The new life of an old disease.Parasite epidemiology and control · 2024Article
- COVID-19 pandemic and the consumption of self-care products for pediculosis capitis in Portugal: an interrupted time-series analysis.Parasitology research · 2024Article
- The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Prevalence of Head Lice Infestation among Children Attending Schools and Kindergartens in Poland.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fungal and parasitic skin infections in a Swedish health region without lockdown: Focus on scabies and tinea capitis/ tinea barbae.Parasite epidemiology and control · 2023Article
- Do some families act as a reservoir of head lice in the community? Surveys for prevalence and insecticide resistance suggest this is the case.Parasitology research · 2023Article
- Article
- Scabicide sales before and during the COVID-19 epidemic in Israel.New microbes and new infections · 2023Article
- Increased Scabies Incidence at the Beginning of the 21st Century: What Do Reports from Europe and the World Show?Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Comment on 'Unexpected consequences of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: scabies infestation'.Clinical and experimental dermatology · 2022Article
- Comment on 'Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on head lice and scabies infestation dynamics: a population-based study in France'.Clinical and experimental dermatology · 2022Article
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5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLockdowns and physical distancing have dramatically limited the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and other common communicable infections. However, little is known about their impact on head lice and scabies.
aimTo assess the impact of the 2020 French National lockdowns (17 March-11 May 2020, and 30 October-15 December 2020) and physical distancing recommendations (from February 2020) on the dynamics of head lice and scabies infestations.
methodsThe weekly sales of topical head lice treatments, topical scabies treatments and oral ivermectin were extracted from the database of the healthcare science company IQVIA (60% of all French retail pharmacies) and analysed over a 5-year period (March 2016-December 2020). A periodic regression model was fitted to drug sales before the COVID-19 period (2016-2019) and extrapolated to compare the observed sales in 2020 to the expected sales.
resultsA decrease of the sales of tracer topical treatments for head lice and scabies was observed from March 2020, synchronously with the first French national lockdown. For the period March-December 2020, the mean reduction in observed vs. expected sales for head lice and scabies topical treatments was 44% and 14%, respectively. By contrast, although there was an observed decrease in oral ivermectin sales after March 2020, it was much lower (4%), probably because of studies reporting the potential positive effects of this drug on COVID-19 infection.
conclusionCOVID-19 lockdown and physical distancing reduce circulation of head lice and scabies in France. Further studies are needed to assess the long-term impact of these social behaviour changes.
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