– We lived in a bubble of scabies where everything was about preventing infections.

The family of six spent six months and tens of thousands of crowns to get rid of scabies.

– The only thing I remember from the time between October and May is scabies. We had Christmas, New Years, beautiful birthdays, a crown, and a birth, but it all went away.

Camilla Danielsen is still shaking considering the months that she and the rest of the family battled the contagious skin mite.

– It took us six months and cost 70,000 crowns, he sums up.

– Large amount of scabies

Scabies is on the rise. Figures from the Norwegian Medicines Agency show that the use of scabies drugs increased sharply in the fall of 2019 and reached a preliminary peak in January 2020.

– We see a huge amount of scabies, says Chief Physician Emilia Signe Hugdahl of Haukeland University Hospital and Bryggen Dermatology Center.

So far this year, the hospital has referred 208 scabies patients. There are as many as last year and twice as many as in 2018.

Only a small proportion are bothered for so long that they are referred to dermatologists.

– It’s not bad hygiene

Hugdahl has two explanations for the spread of scabies. One is shame.

– It is a myth that scabies is due to poor hygiene, says Hugdahl, adding:

– Scabies is transmitted by all forms of skin contact, including sexual contact. This can contribute to many people feeling embarrassed about being infected and may not inform their close contacts.

The second reason is the price of the treatment. Hugdahl says dermatologists have notified health authorities that something is being done about the costs of treatment.

– A case of infection in a family can quickly cost between 20,000 and 30,000 crowns. It’s a lot of money, says Hugdahl.

Expensive creams

For the family with four children in Alversund, the scabies story began a year ago. They first shared the experience at Avisa Nordhordland.

The older boy and father were diagnosed with the infection in October 2019. At that time, the entire house had to be treated with an expensive cream.

But the crust was not broken by the cream. The treatment had to be repeated. The two with proven infection were also prescribed tablets.

The itching was so intense that the father and eldest son worked their way to blood at night. They still have scars from the ravages of scabies.

– It was as if we lived in a scabies bubble, where we tried to prevent the infection from spreading. I changed towels in the bathroom every time someone used it, and I went there with the vacuum cleaner to remove all the skin debris from the floor, says Danielsen.

For each treatment, all textiles had to be decontaminated, that is, washed at 60 degrees, frozen, or stored in plastic for a week.

The children had to get extra sets of rainwear and boots.

– We also had to buy more bedding. Who has to change the bedding on five beds twice in a weekend?

The parents also bought a new mattress topper, while the children spent a few nights on a folding bed while they cleaned their mattresses.

Don’t get rid of it anyway

Danielsen was pregnant at the time and was betting the family would get rid of scabies before the youngest girl was born.

Just a few weeks after birth, the scabies mite returned. This time, she and the two smaller children were also infected.

– I had displaced the itch for weeks before realizing that we had not gotten rid of it.

Then it was resumed with cream, tablets, and textile decontamination.

– We are healthy now, but I do not dare to think that we can become infected again, he says.

Big bill

Danielsen says that the scabies attack has cost them 70,000 crowns.

Cream treatment alone adds up to over 20,000 crowns. In addition, the prescription tablets come to 12,000 for a cure for the whole family. They had to go through two.

Then there were the expenses of a dermatologist at a private clinic, allergy medications, and cortisone creams for damaged skin. In addition to bedding, pillows, mattresses, extra rain gear and boots for three children.

Will break the taboo

At one point, Danielsen decided to displace the feeling of shame and clearly report the risk of infection.

– I think it is important for people to know that the infection is present in the local community.

– How do people react then?

– I notice that many people lower their voices when they talk about scabies. I shared the local newspaper interview with me on Facebook, but received surprisingly few comments. Many have messaged me directly, but obviously they won’t be open about their own experiences, he says.

Last weekend, celebrities in the “Funkyfam” family told TV2.no that they have been fighting to get rid of scabies since March.

– I wait for all the signs that the taboo is being broken, says Danielsen.

Call for promotions

Chief physician Emilia Signe Hugdahl calls for information campaigns on scabies, in the same way that health authorities have annual campaigns on lice.

– Being open to health authorities about scabies can remove the stigma. It will also make people more aware, he says.

Patients who come to Haukeland and are diagnosed with scabies are thoroughly briefed by the nurse on how treatment and decontamination should be performed.

– I think this information is the reason why we, in the specialized health service, have a higher success rate than many GPs, he says.

– Do you see signs that the scabies is becoming resistant, that the treatment just isn’t working?

– No resistance, but we see that scabies better withstand treatment with cream. Before, it was advisable to leave the cream on for eight hours. Now the advice is to give it 18 hours.

Possible blue recipe

Now something may happen to the price of scabies treatment. The Norwegian Medicines Agency is considering introducing a blue prescription for scabies tablets. So the state keeps most of the bill.

– Here we hope to complete the evaluation in a short time, says medical director Steinar Madsen.

Madsen says the Norwegian Medicines Agency has been aware of the high prices for scabies medicines.

The over-the-counter ointment is not subject to price regulation. Neither are the tablets, because they have not been approved in Norway. Now a variant of ivermectin tablets has received this and the situation is different, he notes.