Scabies Outbreak in Swaziland while Mswati expropriates more wealth for his family

In the confusion of the emergence of a probable new variant of the coronavirus, people in Swaziland seem to be scratching their skin off. Health workers in Swaziland are pointing to a scabies outbreak in the country that is going on without any intervention.

Swaziland is in the midst of political unrest as the people continue to demand the democratisation of the country. The regime is spending more public funds on strengthening itself against the masses who continue to call for democracy. The regime’s security forces are spread all over the country, invading communities. Consequently, diseases such as scabies are on the rise, all without medical intervention. The public health system in Swaziland has also virtually collapsed as the regime prioritises its own survival than that of the people.

Scabies is an infestation of the skin by the mite scacoptes scabiei. Classic scabies typically manifests as intensely itchy spots. The sides and webs of the face, fingers, wrists, armpits, area around the nipples and genitals are often affected.

Scabies can cause a serious mental health problem and affect the quality of life in constant scratching. With that being the case, it then qualifies scabies to be used as a biological weapon in case of war.

Apart from mental health being affected, the constant itching and scratching affects one's productivity as it grows more and more severe at night and people lose their sleep, and in the long run this is likely to lead to depression. Nurses have also been affected by the outbreak since they work closely with patients.

In addition to the fact that treatment for scabies is currently out of stock and there are few experts in diagnosis and treatment of the disease, there has not been any research and training of clinicians about scabies. There have not even been any counter measures like outreaches and home visits. Instead, professionals are wrongly deployed as the regime does not want to pay them for their skill.

It appears that the crippled health system in the country is being used against the poor Swazis to eliminate as much personnel as possible in protection of the crown.

Given the status that the tinkhundla system is crippled, any measure is possible for them to take in order to preserve the monarchy. Over and above that, due to its inherent nature of prioritising the royal family over the people, the regime is unable to provide basic services to the people, including healthcare. The Communist Party of Swaziland continues to mobilise the people of our country to intensify the heat against the absolute monarchy for democracy now.