Devon health officials warn scabies cases could rise in Exeter

Health officials in Devon are warning there could be a rise of scabies cases in Exeter n, due to its large student population. 

Recent data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show a significant rise in scabies diagnoses at sexual health services across the UK. 

New NHS and UK Health Security Agency data shows scabies diagnoses at sexual health services in England rose by 44 per cent between 2023 and 2024, with young adults most affected. 

Scabies, a skin infestation caused by mites, is sometimes mistaken for a sexually transmitted infection because the groin is a commonly affected area. The UKHSA analysis focused on patients presenting at sexual health clinics.

The warning follows seven confirmed cases at South Devon College in Torbay in 2025, underscoring the vulnerability of campus and shared housing settings. 

Now, One Devon, an integrated care board in collaboration with the NHS and local councils, are urging students to remain vigilant, seek early treatment if symptoms appear, and maintain good hygiene practices.

READ NEXT: Exeter Charity shows MP how it supports young people with complex vision impairments

New NHS and UK Health Security Agency data shows scabies diagnoses at sexual health services in England rose by 44 per cent between 2023 and 2024, with young adults most affected. 

“Scabies can spread quickly in communal living environments such as student accommodation, and awareness is key to preventing outbreaks,” said a One Devon spokesperson.

While official data is limited for the Exeter area specifically, national trends show scabies cases rising across England. 

New NHS figures indicate that people aged 20 to 24 accounted for 41 per cent of diagnoses in 2025, an age group that closely aligns with Exeter’s university population.

They also confirmed that diagnoses have increased notably in recent years, with primary care consultations for scabies running well above five-year averages. 

GPs have described the condition as highly transmissible and emphasised the importance of timely diagnosis and treatment.

A spokesperson from One Devon, said: “Although there is limited data to quantify the overall scale of detections across all healthcare settings, indications of a wider rise have been seen through real-time syndromic surveillance, including general practice reporting from the Royal College of General Practitioners Research and Surveillance Centre, which has shown scabies consultations recently exceeding levels seen in previous years across all regions of England.”

“Health protection specialists say that delay can allow the infection to spread further. Dr Chaam Klinger, Consultant in Health Protection at UKHSA South West, said: “scabies is spread through close skin contact and can affect anyone.”

Dr Klinger  stressed that it is not caused by poor hygiene but does need treatment because it is infectious. 

She advised anyone who suspects they have scabies to speak to a pharmacist and said steps can be taken to reduce spread during treatment, including: 

• Washing bedding and clothing at high temperatures on the first day of treatment. 
• Sealing items that cannot be washed for several days until the mites die. 
• Avoiding sharing bedding, towels or clothing. 
• Avoiding close physical contact, including sex, until the full course of treatment has been completed.

For Exeter, where shared student housing, short-term tenancies and high population turnover are common, health officials from One Devon say “awareness and early treatment are key”. 

Students living in Exeter told Exeter Today that symptoms were often mistaken for stress, eczema or allergies, particularly in shared houses and halls of residence where multiple people developed itching around the same time. 

A second-year University of Exeter student living in the St James area, who chose to remain anonymous, said “it took weeks before the problem was identified”. 

She said everyone initially assumed it was stress-related, until two housemates separately visited pharmacies and were advised that scabies was a possibility, at which point they realised the whole household needed treatment at the same time.

One third year University of Exeter student, also living in St. James said the situation became much easier once” people stopped feeling embarrassed and spoke openly about what was happening”. 

She said ignoring it “only made things worse”, while talking about it meant they could deal with it quickly and move on.

Another student in their final year, living near Pennsylvania Road, said “coordinating treatment in a shared house proved difficult”. 

They said being told that “everyone needed to apply treatment on the same day, wash bedding and clothes and isolate unwashable items was stressful when housemates had different timetables and weekend plans.” 

He added that “embarrassment also played a role”, with some people reluctant to talk openly about symptoms, which delayed action.

The rise in cases has prompted updated national NHS guidance, introduced in April 2025, aimed at managing scabies in communal and residential settings. 

The guidance makes clear that people diagnosed with scabies should be treated as soon as possible rather than waiting for wider treatment across a whole setting, in order to reduce symptoms and limit onward transmission. 

It also confirms the licensed use of ivermectin for treatment in specific cases and sets out clearer expectations around exclusion, hygiene and coordination of care.

Under the guidance, healthcare providers linked to a setting are responsible for diagnosis and treatment and for ensuring identified contacts receive treatment at the same time. 

While scabies is not a notifiable disease and single cases do not need to be reported, health protection teams can provide support if outbreaks become difficult to manage, particularly if multiple linked cases occur within a short period in shared or residential settings.