4 August 2024 – In north-west Syria, lack of sanitation services, compounded by limited water supply and overcrowding, creates the ideal conditions for infectious diseases to spread. Scabies is among the infections of concern in north-west Syria, especially in densely populated camps as it is transmitted person to person through close skin contact.

WHO collaborated with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Health and WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Cluster partners to launch a permethrin-based mass drug administration on 16 July 2024. This large-scale response to scabies has been made possible thanks to financial support from European Union Humanitarian Aid.