The key facts

  • In the first nine months of 2026, 9,917 scabies cases were identified in the Czech Republic, up from 7,542 a year earlier
  • The Moravian-Silesian Region leads: 1,882 cases since the start of the year, including 741 in Ostrava
  • Over the year, health authorities recorded six group outbreaks in social care facilities in the region

Rising incidence and regional statistics

The number of scabies cases in the Czech Republic — an infection caused by a parasitic mite — is growing. This was reported by the Czech outlet iDNES.cz, whose data is cited by Gazeta.Ru. According to the Czech Institute of Health, 9,917 cases of scabies were registered in the country in the first nine months of 2026. For comparison: 7,542 cases were recorded over the same period last year, and 1,648 in 2020. Thus, the confirmed increase has continued for the second year in a row, and compared with 2020 the number of cases has grown roughly sixfold.

Where cases are concentrated

The largest number of cases is registered in the Moravian-Silesian Region, especially in Ostrava. In September, 187 cases were identified there — more than in any other region of the country. In total, 1,882 cases have been registered in the region since the beginning of the year, including 741 in Ostrava.

Outbreaks in social care facilities

Outbreaks of the infection are also occurring in social care facilities. In one nursing home in Ostrava, three residents fell ill; the facility introduced additional preventive measures and temporarily canceled group activities. In total, over the year the region's health authorities identified six group outbreaks in social care facilities.

Causes of the increase remain unclear

The exact causes of the rise in incidence have not yet been established. Among possible factors, experts cite the cyclical nature of scabies spread, close contact in communal living facilities, and travel. At the same time, the increase in statistics may be partly linked to the transition to an electronic system for recording infectious diseases — meaning part of the growth may reflect improved registration rather than a real rise alone.

How the infection spreads

The scabies mite is transmitted primarily through prolonged skin-to-skin contact, and less often through contaminated bedding and clothing. Symptoms may appear several weeks after infection, which makes timely detection of the infection difficult. The outlet also notes that scabies statistics in the Czech Republic are being published against the backdrop of WHO reports of a threefold increase in cholera infections in Yemen — these events are connected only by the general topic of infectious diseases.