Skin infection hospital admission rates in children in Western Australia, 1996–2012.

<p>Shows rates in non-Aboriginal (A & B) and Aboriginal (C & D) children. The calculated admissions included all hospital discharge records with evidence of scabies, impetigo and pyoderma, cellulitis, abscess, fungal infections, head lice and other skin infections. Note the differences in scale. In children aged 1–4 years, the admission rate of skin infection was 34.1/1000 in Aboriginal children and 2.5/1000 in non-Aboriginal children (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0188803#pone.0188803.t002" target="_blank">Table 2</a>). In Aboriginal children of this age group, significant declines were mainly seen in admissions for scabies (4.2%), impetigo and pyoderma (2.7%), and cellulitis (5.0%). Conversely, abscess increased by 2.1% in Aboriginal children (P = 0.03). In children aged 5–9 years and 10–15 years, the highest rates of admissions were for abscess, while the highest disparity in admissions between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal was due to scabies. There were no significant changes in admission rates during the follow-up period in both these age groups.