Pediatric skin disease in Pakistan. A study of three Punjab villages.

The population of children younger than 5 years old in three widely distributed villages in Punjab, Pakistan, was examined for skin disease in November 1980. Approximately 29% of the children had infectious skin disease, with pyoderma the predominant diagnostic category. There were significant differences in pyoderma prevalence rates between villages, with the suppressive effect of malathion spraying for malaria control on the insect population representing the most likely explanation for the observed differences. These data again emphasize the amount of skin disease, particularly in children, in rural areas of the lesser developed countries, and the desirability of focusing attention on the dermatologic needs of this vast sector of the world's population.