A new study and trial program led by the Kids Research Institute of Australia has helped to reduce infectious skin diseases in children by half in remote Indigenous communities in Western Australia.

The ‘SToP’ program is aimed at Seeing, Treating and Preventing diseases such as scabies and impetigo, which disproportionately affects remote Indigenous children.

When the program began in 2020, 40% of the 915 children studied had some type of infectious skin disease – by the end, it was reduced to 20%. However, more needs to be done to reduce rates of infection, as only 5% of children in metropolitan areas suffer from the same conditions.

Image: Image: Shutterstock – AustralianCamera

Produced By: Ben Fragiadakis

Featured In Story: Professor Asha Bowen, leader of the healthy skin and rheumatic fever prevention team at the Kids Research Institute of Australia

First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 9 October 2024