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Head Lice, known as Pediculus Humanus
in medical parlance, are tiny, flat, wingless insects
which often find their way into the scalp as parasites.
They suck the blood by biting the skin. This results in
an irritation which, in chronic cases, caues thickening
and pigmentation of the skin. Head lice occurs more
frequently in children than in adults. Symptoms
Itching is the
main symptom of head lice infection. The adult female
louse lays eggs, known as nits, close to the surface of
the scalp. They hatch before the hair has grown more than
a few millimeters. The eggs are flesh-coloured and are
difficult to see, but once the female louse has emerged,
the nits can be easily seen.
Occassionally flakes of dandruff or kertain casts may be
mistaken for nits, but a microscopic examination of the
material will reveal the distinction. At times, insects
can be seen crawling on the hair. Their favourite haunts
are on the scalp, around the ears or underneath hair
grown at the back of the head. Head lice in children can
be discovered by their frequent scratching on the back of
the head, and by verifying the lice and the nits.
Causes
Head lice are very
infectious and can be easily acquired by head-to-head
contact with a person harbouring the parasite. They are
common in persons who are crowded together and live in
poor sanitary condition. They spread rapidly during
disasters.
Treatment
As with any other
unhealthy condition, the first step towards treatment of
head lice is thorough cleanliness. This should be
observed by all members of the household. They should not
share towels, pillows, combs and hair brushes. The comb
and hair brushes of infected children should be
disinfected daily by scrubbing with soap and water, and
boiling them after they are used. A special comb with
close-knit teeth, which is easily available, should be
used. This will help remove the lice from the hair.
However, lice cannot be got rid of only with the help of
a comb, they can be destroyed by certain effective
methods also. One of these methods is to soak the scalp
and hair for 24 hours with a mixture of equal parts of
kerosene and vinegar. The head should be covered with a
cap or towel. The head and hair should then be shampooed
thoroughly with soap and hot water and dried with a
towel. The nits should be removed with a fine comb dipped
in hot vinegar. The kerosene kills the lice and the
vinegar loosens the eggs or nits, so that they can be
easily combed out. This treatment should be repeated two
or three times and the hair should be combed with a
fine-toothed comb many times between each treatment to
remove the loosened eggs. Great caution must be exercised
in keeping the child away from a heated stove or a flame
because of the danger of igniting the hair.
Another method to destroy the head lice is to dust five
per cent DDT powder in 95 per cent inert talc into the
hair and scalp. Care should be taken to keep the powder
out of the eyes by protecting them with guaze squares.
The entire head should be wrapped in a scarf or clean
towel. The scarf should be removed after several hours,
preferably at bedtime. The next morning, the hair should
be carefully combed with a fine tooth comb to get rid of
the nits and dead lice. On the seventh day of the
treatment, the hair should be washed with soap and warm
water and allowed to dry. Thereafter, the DDT powder
should be applied again in the same manner as before. On
the 14th day, the hair should be given a final shampoo.
Normally, two courses of treatment are sufficient. In
some cases, it may be necessary to repeat this treatment
for the third time.
The third effective method is to thoroughly cleanse the
whole body from the scalp to the toes, using plenty of
soap and water. Next, five per cent benzy and benzoate
emulsion should be applied to all the itching areas. This
should be rubbed well into the scalp at night, especially
if the hair has been invaded by the parasites.
As the child affected with head lice can infect other
children and members of the family, it is essential to
examine the heads of all of them and treat them if lice
and nits are found. Any head-dress worn by a child with
lie should be sterilised by spraying with five per cent
DDT solution.
Prevention
The condition can
be prevented by the maintenance of personal cleanliness
and the avoidance of infected persons and their clothing.
The clothing of individuals suffering from pediculosis
should be soaked in boiling water and washed. As children
are more likely to suffer from this problem, it would be
advisable to keep their hair short.
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