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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 feed on blood several times each day and tend to reside close to your scalp, which explains the itchiness and why it’s sometimes so difficult to tell that you have head lice.
Delousing can also be practically achieved by boiling all clothes and bedding, or washing them at a high temperature. [6] A temperature of 130 °F (54 °C) for 5 minutes will kill most of the adults and prevent eggs from hatching. [7] Leaving the clothes unwashed, but unworn for a full week, also results in the death of lice and eggs. [5]
Head lice are most common among young children — 6 million to 12 million lice outbreaks occur yearly in children between 3 and 11 in the US — though adults are vulnerable to head lice as well.
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.
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.
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