Epidemiological trends of Pediatric scabies in Central Anatolia: a retrospective analysis covering the period 2019-2023.

Scabies is a contagious skin infestation of ongoing public health concern. This retrospective, descriptive study analyzed the epidemiological trends, clinical characteristics, and treatment outcomes of pediatric scabies in a tertiary care setting in Ankara, covering both pre- and post-earthquake periods between September 2019 and December 2023. Among 848 patients, representing 25% of all parasitic infections, case numbers showed a steady increase over the four-year period. The majority of patients (95.8%) resided in Central Anatolia, and 49% reported symptomatic household contacts. Pruritus (90.5%) and rash (78.3%) were the dominant symptoms, while secondary bacterial complications were rare (0.7%). Permethrin was the primary treatment (62.2%), yielding an 87.2% favorable clinical response. Recurrence occurred in 12.7% of cases. These descriptive findings highlight the steadily increasing burden of pediatric scabies in Central Anatolia and underscore the need for enhanced public health surveillance and comprehensive household-level management in urban settings.