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Head lice infestation, also known as pediculosis capitis, is the infection of the head hair and scalp by the head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis). [6] Itching from lice bites is common. [ 5 ] During a person's first infection, the itch may not develop for up to six weeks. [ 5 ]
Head lice cannot fly, and their short, stumpy legs render them incapable of jumping, or even walking efficiently on flat surfaces. [ 2 ] The non-disease-carrying head louse differs from the related disease-carrying body louse ( Pediculus humanus humanus ) in preferring to attach eggs to scalp hair rather than to clothing.
Accordingly, the infestation with head lice is named pediculosis capitis, while this with body lice, pediculosis corporis. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Although pediculosis in humans may properly refer to lice infestation of any part of the body, the term is sometimes used loosely to refer to pediculosis capitis , the infestation of the human head with the ...
Head lice are about 2 to 3 millimeters long, and they usually infest the head or neck and attach their eggs to the base of the hair shaft, according to the CDC.
The discovery of head lice on a child's body no longer means they are guaranteed a day off from school, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The treatment of human lice is the removal of head lice parasites from human hair. It has been debated and studied for centuries. It has been debated and studied for centuries. However, the number of cases of human louse infestations (or pediculosis ) has increased worldwide since the mid-1960s, reaching hundreds of millions annually. [ 1 ]
Pediculus is a genus of sucking lice, the sole genus in the family Pediculidae. Pediculus species are ectoparasites of primates. Species include: [1] Pediculus clavicornis Nitzsch, 1864; Pediculus humanus Linnaeus, 1758. Pediculus humanus humanus Linnaeus, 1758 – the body louse; Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer, 1767 – the head louse ...
A body lice infestation is treated by improving the personal hygiene of the infested person, including assuring a regular (at least weekly) change of clean clothes. Clothing, bedding, and towels used by the infested person should be laundered using hot water (at least 130 °F or 54 °C) and machine dried using the hot cycle.