Abstract: Objective: To analyze the disease burden and trends of scabies among Chinese children from 1990 to 2023, and to provide evidence for its control and prevention. Methods: Data of scabies among Chinese children from 1990 to 2023 were collected from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 database. Prevalence, incidence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC) were used to access the changes of disease burden. Results: In 2023, the number of prevalent cases, incident cases, and total DALYs for scabies among Chinese children were 8 274 136 (95% UI 6 191 233-10 588 197), 25 427 952 (95% UI 19 678 835-32 507 004), and 217 005 (95% UI 114 142-373 121), respectively. From 1990 to 2023, the numbers of prevalent cases, incident cases, and total DALYs for scabies in Chinese children showed a downward trend with fluctuations. In contrast, the prevalence rate, incidence rate, and DALYs rate exhibited an upward trend with variations. The increase in the prevalence, incidence, and DALYs rates was slightly greater among male children than among females. Children aged 10-14 consistently had the highest point estimate for prevalence, incidence, and DALYs rates across all observed years, followed by the 5-9 age group, while the ＜5 age group had the lowest. From 1990 to 2023, the scabies disease burden showed an increasing trend among children both globally and in China; however, the upward trend in China was more gradual relative to the global trend. Conclusion: Scabies continues to pose a significant disease burden in Chinese children, with the 10-14 age group being a critical target for future prevention and control efforts.

Key words: scabies, children, China, prevalence, incidence, DALYs