One of the most common parasitic diseases is head lice, caused by the presence of small arthropods, lice. It is believed that this disease is due to lack of hygiene and dirt, which is not true. It can occur regardless of social status and hygiene. How to recognize the symptoms of lice? Who can get sick and what are the treatments for this disease?
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1️⃣ Lice - what is this disease?
Lice, or head lice, is a parasitic disease caused by insects living on the human body - lice. These small arthropods are 0.35 to 6 mm in size, and their food source is blood sucked from the host's skin. There are many types of lice, but humans are threatened by human lice, which include:
- head lice that inhabit the scalp;
- lice that live and breed in clothing (or bedding) and treat humans only as a host. This ailment is the rarest and usually occurs due to poor hygiene;
- sexually transmitted pubic lice. This insect parasitizes the pubic hair and can spread to other parts of the body (hair on the thighs, abdomen, armpits, eyebrows and eyelashes), with the exception of the scalp.
The most common infection is head lice. The problem of head lice mainly affects children, but there are also many cases of this disease among adults.
2️⃣ Where do lice come from?
Head lice are the most common disease among children and schoolchildren, who are in large groups every day - in kindergartens and schools, summer camps.
Adults can catch head lice from their children, as well as on public transport or in large groups of people, such as shopping at the supermarket, train station or at a public event.
3️⃣ How to recognize lice symptoms?
A typical symptom that may indicate the presence of lice is persistent itching of the scalp, especially in the occipital, parietal and temporal regions. It is in these places that the parasites pierce the skin to suck blood from their host and at the same time inject the itching toxin.
Itching can be accompanied by reddening of the skin along the hairline, as well as around the back of the head and behind the ears, scratches and small cuts from scratching itchy areas. Scalp injuries are an ideal environment for the development of various bacteria and fungi.
When combing the hair of a person infected with head lice, you can see nits between individual strands - lice eggs. These are small oval lumps of white-yellow color, attached to the hair with a special secret that acts as a strong glue and prevents the removal of eggs with normal hygiene measures.
🔔 & nbsp; Methods of head lice treatment - how to get rid of head lice?
Read about this in the application, we have collected a large number of effective ways, both traditional and folk
The appearance of symptoms of head lice and the presence of insect eggs on the hair is a signal that action must be taken immediately. The infected person and immediate family members must receive treatment. The therapy can be carried out independently, but if symptoms of secondary bacterial superinfection appear, you should contact your family doctor or directly to a dermatologist.
