News
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Happy Holidays from WSP!
As 2025 comes to a close, the World Scabies Program would like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported our work this year. Wishing you a happy, safe, and restful festive season — see you in 2026!
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Scabies Celebration Solomon Islands
Last week, the newly established Neglected Tropical Diseases Unit and World Scabies Program hosted an event to celebrate the successes of the National Scabies Control Program in the Solomon Islands. The event showcased the results from the second post–mass drug administration (MDA) prevalence survey, highlighting the real impact of two national MDAs for scabies.
We were delighted to be joined by our partners from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Solomon Islands, World Health Organization, and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with support from the Australian Government through the Partnerships for a Healthy Region initiative.
A big thank you to SIBC for broadcasting the event to all Solomon Islanders!
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International Alliance for the Control of Scabies Webinar Presentations
Miiri Tong, WSP’s MDA Coordinator in Kiribati alongside Lara van den Berg recently presented at the International Alliance for the Control of Scabies (IACS) annual webinar. They discussed their findings from a qualitative study investigating the acceptability of scabies and trachoma integrated mass drug administration (MDA) in South Tarawa, Kiribati that took place earlier this year.
June Tavalia, the Neglected Tropical Disease Unit Coordinator in Solomon Islands, also presented on the impact of two ivermectin-based MDAs for scabies, which demonstrated substantial reductions in prevalence, which was supported by WSP.
Keep an eye out on the IACS website for the recording of the webinar: https://controlscabies.org/ -
Post-MDA prevalence survey complete in Kiribati!
WSP, in partnership with Ministry of Health and Medical Services Kiribati, has concluded a nationwide survey to determine the prevalence of scabies in Kiribati. The survey reached over 10,000 residents from South Tarawa and selected Outer Islands, providing insights into the burden of scabies following the first round of mass drug administration (MDA) earlier this year.
Completing this survey is a noteworthy achievement in Kiribati’s ongoing efforts to reduce the impact of scabies. The information gathered will play a key role in shaping future scabies control activities.
We would like to express our gratitude to the survey teams and all community members who took part - Kam rabwa!
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Post-MDA prevalence survey training in Kiribati
Last week, WSP Kiribati trained nurses and data officers for a post-MDA national scabies prevalence survey, which is commencing this week!
The survey teams completed a 3-day training program that included a visit to a nearby village for a mock survey, where they put their training to the test.
The survey will run for two weeks across parts of South Tarawa and randomly selected Outer Islands. Once complete, it will provide national data on the prevalence of scabies and bacterial skin infections in Kiribati, following the integrated scabies and trachoma MDA conducted earlier this year in collaboration with Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services, The Fred Hollows Foundation, and World Scabies Program.
Ko rabwa to our fantastic WSP survey training team, all the survey teams, and the people of Kiribati for warmly welcoming the teams into their communities to carry out this important work.
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The I-Kiribati Ministry Of Health & Medical Services visits MCRI
Yesterday, the World Scabies Program and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) together with the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had the honour of hosting the Ministry Of Health & Medical Services-Kiribati.
Honourable Minister Bootii Nauan and his delegation were provided a briefing of MCRI’s programs by Professor Andrew Steer and Professor Pete Azzopardi, with a focus on Global Health, the World Scabies Program and programs into adolescent health in the Pacific.
Kiribati’s Ministry of Health, in partnership with MCRI and The Fred Hollows Foundation, completed the world’s first national joint mass drug administration (MDA) for scabies and trachoma, with over 85 per cent coverage for scabies.
MCRI acknowledges the support of the Australian Government through the Partnerships for a Healthy Region initiative. -
Integrated NTD workshop
Earlier this month, World Scabies Program attended an integrated neglected tropical diseases (NTD) workshop facilitated by The Fred Hollows Foundation. Colleagues from Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Melbourne travelled to Nadi for the 5 day workshop where we discussed all things integration with our partners The Fred Hollows Foundation, Kirby Institute, and Ministries of Health and Medical Services in Kiribati and Solomon Islands.Working together to fight NTDs is a key part of our work, and it was great to connect with colleagues from across the Pacific to share lessons, ideas, and strategies for stronger, integrated approaches to public health. -
WSP presents at Pacific Island Health Research Symposium in Suva!
Last week, World Scabies Program Fiji presented at the Pacific Island Health Research Symposium in Suva.Their excellent presentation discussed the impact of the national MDA on scabies prevalence in Fiji, through the evaluation of before and after cross-sectional surveys conducted by WSP in partnership with the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services.Hannah and Tessa travelled from Melbourne to attend the three day symposium, of which the theme was "Celebrating Research Excellence in the Pacific".Vinaka vakalevu to Melaia and Amini for their great work on the presentation! -
WSP donates 18,800 tubes of permethrin cream to Solomon Islands National Medical Stores
Last week, World Scabies Program donated 18,800 tubes of permethrin 5% cream to the National Medical Stores of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services in Solomon Islands. Our team worked alongside National Medical Stores Manager, Mr Wesley Kukutu, to hand over 94 boxes of treatment to strengthen scabies control efforts.We are glad to have the opportunity to support Solomon Islands in the treatment of scabies!
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