Over 1,700 afflicted with skin disease in Liberia: official

MONROVIA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Over 1,700 Liberians have been plagued by a skin disease suspected to be scabies, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

Medical experts are working to ascertain the specific type of disease and its main cause, but early symptoms are very similar to scabies, Francis Kateh, Liberia's chief medical officer, told reporters in the capital city of Monrovia.

"The disease which is very contagious has a high possibility of spreading," Kateh said.

The disease has spread across six out of the 15 counties in the West African country.

Scabies is an itchy, highly contagious skin disease caused by an infestation by the itch mite known, scientifically, as Sarcoptes scabies. It can be transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact and causes severe and relentless itching.

Local medical experts have said sexual contact is the most common form of transmission among sexually-active young people.

The Liberian government is yet to declare an outbreak, despite a surge in the number of cases recorded.

Kateh said local authorities relied on the number of victims who have been to clinics or other places for treatment of the disease, noting there might be more afflicted people in the rural areas.

Kateh said the disease could be more related to hygiene and called on Liberians to do more in keeping their environments in order to prevent it from spreading. Enditem