Facts about lice.

                                                                      Lice                                                                                      This refers to over 2500 species of insects of the order Phthiraptera which are wingless and classified as causative agents for some of the human diseases.                                                                                  Since they are parasites, they feed on human skin and other parts that are found on the human body. In humans, they are likely to be found on scalp and pubic hair as their area of inhabitance. They attach their eggs to the human hair with their specialized saliva that creates a bond that is hard to remove from the hair.                                                                                                                                                      They affect humans in the head and are thus known as head lice.                                                              Facts about the members which infest the head include:

·        They are parasites that are commonly found on the head or scalp of humans.

·        They are spread through personal contact, or through the sharing of personal items such as combs, caps, brushes and other types of clothing.

·        They are usually common to children in preschool, school children and teenagers in very rare circumstances.

·        They are known to form feelings of tickling of something that is moving through one’s hair, resulting to itching and eventual sores on the head.

·        People in contact with it should be fully treated to avoid them from spreading to other quarters of the body and to other individuals.

·        A head-lice infection begins with one of them, which eventually bond with another and in the end; one becomes prone to infection.

·        Very young children, preschool and school children should undertake various professional health care screening and evaluation to determine if they have them and if they should be given the necessary treatment.

They are known to cause pediculosis which is defined as an infection caused by head lice.                          This infection is very common, and it is estimated that one in every 10 schoolchildren are infected every year and in the US, the amount used in treating this condition is nearly $1 billion dollars annually.            Treatment can be administered through over-the-counter (OTC) medicine or other prescriptions provided by the local health practitioner.                                                                                                                     The procedure upon treating is summarized as follows:

·        All clothing should be removed.

·        Apply medicine that has been given by the practitioner, hair, should not be washed for one or two days after treating.

·        The infested person should put on clean clothes after that treatment.

·        If live lice still remain in hair, comb them out since the medicine might take very long to kill these lice. Do not apply the treatment again if it doesn't kill lice.