The dermatologist Iñigo Navarro, from the Doctor José Molina Orosa University Hospital, a center affiliated with the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, has recently been appointed president of the International Alliance for the Control of Scabies (IACS), an international organization dedicated to the fight against scabies.
The IACS acts under the umbrella of the International League of Dermatological Societies, linked to the World Health Organization (WHO), and constitutes a global network of clinical personnel, researchers, and public health experts whose objective is the control of scabies and the promotion of health in communities affected by this disease.
In recent years, the contribution and work of the IACS has been fundamental for scabies to be recognized as a neglected tropical disease and for its control to have become a priority for the WHO.
Among its main achievements, the organization has established the diagnostic criteria for scabies and, together with the WHO, develops a guide for the mass treatment of communities with high prevalence of scabies. Likewise, it promotes scientific research and annually grants scholarships to researchers whose work focuses on this disease. As president, Iñigo Navarro directs the annual meetings, coordinates the IACS projects, and participates in collaboration with other international entities.
Scabies
Scabies is a disease very common in tropical climates and in impoverished and overcrowded communities, where it sometimes affects more than 10% of the population. In these contexts, associated secondary infections can contribute to the development of serious diseases such as chronic kidney disease or rheumatic heart disease.
In our environment, scabies is less frequent, although various studies indicate that its incidence in Europe could be increasing. It evolves in outbreaks and causes very annoying skin rashes due to intense itching, symptoms that subside and resolve with adequate treatment.
Professional career
Iñigo Navarro trained at the University of Valladolid and obtained his doctorate in Medicine, with honors cum laude, at the University of Cantabria. Until joining Molina Orosa, he developed his professional career at the Centre Hospitalier de Mayotte, at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de la Réunion, both departments of France, and at the Hospital Universitario de Cabueñes, in Gijón.
The Dermatology service of the Molina Orosa Hospital, the Medical Directorate, and the Management of the Lanzarote Health Services congratulate the specialist on this appointment, which places one of their professionals at the head of an international organization of great relevance in the field of public health.
