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Lice

Causes and symptoms of head lice

What are head lice?

Pediculosis (lice) is a parasitic disease of the skin and hair. According to recent reports, over the past 10 years in Russia the disease had been ill from 220 to 300 people per 100 thousand population. In the capital in 2002, recorded 791 per 100 thousand population, children under 14 accounted for 15 % of cases. Most interesting is that the vectors of the disease are most often adults.

Allocate one of the reasons for the spread and development of lice is a lot of refugees from the former Soviet Union and, of course, homeless people. Lice – a small wingless insects, food which is human blood. Form lice are flat, oblong-rhombic, on the legs, with a small movable proboscis, due to a insect attached to anything. Lice, which have not yet drunk the blood, have a grayish-brown color, the same that had drunk the blood, red or black. Eat these insects must constantly, otherwise they die. Lice eggs are an oval shape, pale yellow color, size up to 1 mm. After 4-9 days the egg comes out the louse. Female lice living in the hair of the human head, has a size of 2.0–3.5 mm male – 2.0 to 3.0 mm. the Females need to feed continuously, in small doses. For this reason, more than a day to live they can't. Have body lice female length of 3.75–5.0 mm in male and 3.3–3.5 mm. Nits of this kind of lice are attached to the pile fabric.


The symptoms of head lice

To diagnose head lice is simple: on the skin the patient has parasites, also in clothing, hair and underwear are nits, the skin in the area of localization lice inflamed from the bites.

Other symptoms of head lice is endless itching is a response of the skin to the bites of lice. Itching can be mild or unbearable, especially at night from body lice. It happens that the patient even has the desire to scratch – this is a consequence of chronic diseases, the habit. Skin rash from the bites of lice occurs after some time. Initially, there is "an acute pruritic dermatitis," small bright red papules, vesicles. Further, this process becomes chronic dermatitis, suppuration occurs papules. Over time there is a secondary infection, which is accompanied by anemia. When pubic lice and a appear on the skin specific spots.

In the case where the patient have severe stage of the head lice, the head turns com tangled and matted hair with the smell of rot. Depending on the localization of lice andcomplications from this disease are different symptoms. However, there are patients who have lice are located over the entire body or exist together and hanging, and pubic and head parasites.

Causes of head lice

It is important to know that these insects do not fly and do not jump, and move through the run. This suggests that you can become infected through personal contact with the patient. Lice living in head, we move from person to person through the hair, especially long. Mostly at risk are children, since they are the most active, constantly in contact with each other during games, at school, at home, in children's camps, gardens, changing personal hygiene items – combs, towels. Children are difficult to convince that it is impossible to change hats.

A very remarkable fact that the cause of head lice may be an ordinary Barber. Such places as bath, pool, train, hospital can also be a place infected with head lice. Body lice are transmitted differently than the hair. A lice can be transmitted after a close household contact. Settling in the folds of the clothing, the lice move on the human skin. Getting lice can then re-use dirty clothes or things. Pubic lice can be transmitted during sexual contact. However, to get them only while using someone else's towels, clothing or bedding. Outside the body pubic lice live very long, no more than one day, although the eggs are more viable and still live within a week.


Prevention of head lice

Pediculosis is a very unpleasant disease. Anyone not happy would be a situation when you're talking with someone and you catch yourself surprised and a closer look at the hair, which walk lice. For this reason, it is necessary to observe safety precautions. The most important thing in the prevention of pediculosis is personal hygiene, bedding and underwear must be clean, as lice don't like clean. Iron thoroughly at the seams, as that is where lice lay their eggs. Do not let anyone your brush.

It turns out that parasites really do not like the smell of lavender and tea tree. So if you put the liquid in the neck region and the ears, it will help not to get lice. If you had lice, you should disinfect towels, hats, bedding, clothes, soft toys, and then for two weeks not to use them. Without human louse will live for another week, if there were eggs, the lice will be out in a week, so two weeks is enough to be sure that the lice were dead, because withoutfeeding human parasites can't live. In order to verify the presence or absence of lice, you can comb your head with a special comb over a light surface, and then all will become clear.