Updated 1.30pm
A woman suffering from scabies has described her feeling of helplessness as one of the medications to treat the highly infectious skin condition is currently out of stock.
Dermatologists confirmed with Times of Malta that tablets needed by those suffering from scabies were out of stock.
However, on Thursday a spokesperson for the Health Ministry said the medication was available from Mater Dei.
Scabies is a contagious skin infection caused by tiny burrowing mites called sarcoptes scabiei. The mites burrow into the skin and lay their eggs, which causes a rash and intense itching.
The woman has had scabies since December and reached out to Times of Malta after she tried to get her hands on ivermectin tablets, which are used to treat the condition.
The infection can easily be treated through medication that can be applied to the skin or taken orally. A person can be infected with scabies through prolonged skin-to-skin contact or even by sharing personal items such as clothing or bedding.
After using perimetrin cream for a month and not witnessing any progress, the woman decided to go to St James Hospital and was prescribed ivermectin on Saturday. She said she tried to purchase the medication at several pharmacies but said all of them informed her this was out of stock.
“I called Mater Dei Hospital, and they did not have any stock of the medication either,” she said.
“This is outrageous. I don’t know what to do and my quality of life has been affected.”
The Maltese Association of Dermatology and Venerology (MADV) confirmed that ivermectin is out of stock at the Mater Dei Hospital pharmacy.
A MADV spokesperson said this is a ‘continuous issue’ and it was not the first time such a shortage has taken place.
Last April, the MADV and the Malta Association of Public Health Medicine complained that an outbreak of scabies was being untreated because the country lacked the required medication.
The medication was back in stock after nine weeks.
“It’s a disgrace that we keep facing this shortage, and in reality, such medication should never be out of stock,” the spokesperson said.
“This has happened before, and the problem has not been solved.”
The spokesperson said MADV members and other dermatologists have seen a slight increase in scabies cases, and it was flagged to their attention that ivermectin tablets were out of stock.
'Tablets back in stock': health authorities
Answering questions by Times of Malta, a spokesperson for the Health Ministry said the ivermectin tablets were back in stock.
He said despite an international sourcing issue, the Central Procurement and Supplies Unit had managed to "increase the supply". The supply, he added, was "being monitored continuously".
"Permethrin is used for the same indication as ivermectin and supply has been continuous to MDH pharmacy too".
He added there was currently no alert of any outbreak of scabies.
A total of 240 people were reported to have scabies throughout 2023. Of these, 142 were sporadic cases while 66 were outbreaks.
So far this year, the authorities have been notified of eight cases.