Human scabies, caused by Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis, is a neglected tropical disease with a significant public health burden worldwide. This retrospective study analyzed the spatiotemporal epidemiology of scabies in Mexico from 2004 to 2024 using national surveillance data. A total of 1,500,348 cases were reported. Children were disproportionately affected, with the highest crude incidence rates in the 0–4 age group. Females had higher incidence than males across all age groups, except in the 0–4 and ≥65 years age groups. Temporal trends were assessed using joinpoint regression on age-standardized incidence rates. Joinpoint regression identified two joinpoints in 2012 and 2017 for both sexes. Among males, the age-standardized incidence rate decreased from 2004 to 2012 (APC = −5.75%), increased from 2012 to 2017 (APC = 19.00%), and decreased from 2017 to 2024 (APC = −20.86%), with an AAPC of −6.02% (p < 0.001). Among females, a similar pattern was observed (APC = −5.94%, 18.23%, and −20.83%, respectively), with an AAPC of −6.24% (p < 0.001). Both sexes showed a significant net decrease in scabies incidence over the study period, despite a transient increase between 2012 and 2017. Spatial analyses revealed statistically significant spatial clustering, with persistent hot spots in the southeast, the Yucatán Peninsula, the Gulf of Mexico coast, and the Pacific Coast. These findings highlight the persistent burden of scabies in Mexico and the need for targeted public health interventions in high-incidence regions and among vulnerable populations.
Osiel González Dávila (Wed,) studied this question.