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Pharmacists have reported a shortage of scabies treatment amid an increase in islanders reporting cases of the contagious condition.
And one young islander suffering from scabies has opened up about her frustration in "trying your hardest to prevent the spread but not being able to find treatment".
Although formal data on scabies in Jersey is not collected by the Government, local pharmacies have described a rise in the number of islanders seeking treatment.
Public Health Director Peter Bradley said that his department had "not been informed of any difficulty in accessing medication".
The NHS website explains that scabies is a contagious condition caused by mites that causes an itchy rash.
It is spread through close skin contact, anyone can get it, and it should be treated quickly to stop it spreading.
Pictured: Scabies is a contagious condition caused by mites that causes an itchy rash.
However, the lack of available treatment in local pharmacies due to supply issues means that sufferers have experienced difficulties in getting either of the two main treatment options: permethrin or malathion.
The Guardian has reported a combination of supply chain problems in the UK, the war in Ukraine, and a rise in the cost of raw materials resulting in months-long shortages of both treatment options.
Local pharmacists have confirmed that Jersey is subject to the same supply problems faced by the UK.
A spokesperson from LV pharmacy said: “We don’t have any stock and we haven’t for a while.
"We can’t get hold of it.”
Pictured: Supply chain problems in the UK, the war in Ukraine, and a rise in the cost of raw materials has resulted in shortages of the two scabies treatment options.
A pharmacist from Roseville Pharmacy explained that “supply of the two different treatments has been intermittent” – attributing the issues to "manufacturing problems" and difficulties in "sourcing raw materials".
A Little Grove pharmacy spokesperson confirmed that they had also seen a rise in islanders asking for treatment.
"It is difficult, but not impossible to get [the scabies treatment] as we only get supplies every couple of weeks,” they said.
St Martin’s Pharmacy also confirmed permethrin and malathion shortages, explaining that the limited supply in the UK market has a knock-on impact in Jersey.
A pharmacist from Le Quesne Pharmacy said they had an "intermittent supply", while Boots pharmacies had no stock left.
One young islander, Lily* told Express about the difficulties she had faced in accessing treatment.
She explained that some of her friends had caught scabies after returning to the island from the UK.
"I had some of the symptoms so wanted to treat it before it got any worse as I had seen how horrible it was for my friends," said Lily.
"I actually don't think I would have known what it was if it wasn't for my friends as it just looked like a shaving rash, but was quite itchy."
Pictured: "It's really upsetting as scabies is kind of embarrassing and something that you want to treat as soon as possible."
The young islander explained that she found it easy to buy the first round of treatment in a local pharmacy, but "struggled" when she went to buy the second round just one week later.
She said: "I went to five pharmacies to get the cream and none of them had any!
"It was really embarrassing to keep having to ask for scabies cream in public.
"I eventually found a different type of cream in one of the pharmacies which cost £19! It was also their last bottle.
"I'm really worried that it won't work properly as it's a different type of cream than the one I used for my first round of treatment."
Lily added: "It's really upsetting as scabies is kind of embarrassing and something that you want to treat as soon as possible.
"It's so frustrating trying your hardest to prevent the spread but not being able to find treatment."
*names have been changed to protect anonymity.
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