Pediculosis - what is it, effective means for treatment. How to understand that you have lice, symptoms and signs Skin disease pediculosis

What it is?

In the external environment, the louse can live for 1-2 days, then the insect dies, because it needs constant blood supply. The life span of an adult is 30-40 days, before that the louse is in the egg stage.

Lice are quite resistant to temperature changes, the most comfortable degrees for their existence: from 25 to 38. The chitinous shell that completely covers the body makes them so hardy.

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Causes of pediculosis

Pediculosis itself is not an acute disease, but it can adversely affect the functioning of the body. Bites suggest damage to the skin, which means that infection of puncture wounds is possible.

Most often, this disease is found in children of primary school age, since this age group lacks knowledge about individual hygiene, and crowding in groups predisposes to pediculosis.

Lice (pediculosis) manifest itself in the form of severe itching at the site of their localization, which is associated with the release of special substances that irritate the nerve endings.

The period between infection and the appearance of the first symptoms in each person is different - it depends on the rate of reproduction of arthropods and the individual level of skin sensitivity.

Although pediculosis is a "skin" disease, allergic reactions and intoxication of the body are not excluded.

Pediculosis of the head - symptoms and features

Most often, head lice bothers children from 3 to 11 years old. The main symptom of the disease is as follows: the child often scratches his head and complains of tingling. Lice bites leave red small dots on the scalp, they are located mainly in the temporal region and on the back of the head.

In the process of healing the bite, a dry, dark yellow crust gradually forms on the red dot. Before the crust closes the wound, purulent sticky substances will be released from it.

Tangled tangles of hair, a “stale” aroma are the most optimal breeding ground for lice. Insects begin to lay even more eggs, and it becomes more and more difficult to cope with them.

Permanent foci of suppuration provoke pyoderma - the reason for this process is an aggressive secret that is released from an arthropod during a bite. Constant point intoxication causes an immune system reaction in the form of an increase in lymph nodes in the head and neck.

A person suffering from pediculosis becomes irritable, restless, it is difficult for him to concentrate.

The most unpleasant consequence may be the entry into the blood of an extraneous infection and infection of the whole organism as a whole. In this case, the child will need to be hospitalized.

But the risks of such a complication are very small, since bacterial infection of a wound can occur only through close contact with a substance hazardous to health.

Pubic pediculosis - photo, features

Pubic pediculosis photo

This localization of pediculosis is most often diagnosed in women who do not have a permanent sexual partner. However, it is possible to transmit lice not during intercourse, but simply by contact with the linen of an infected person.

Therefore, it is very important to use only personal underwear and personal hygiene products.

The pubic area is an ideal breeding ground for these insects: the apocrine glands, which are the most numerous in the inguinal region, secrete sweat with a specific odor. Pubic lice are much smaller than those arthropods that live on the head.

The size of an adult may not exceed 1 mm in length, but they are very prolific. Not one, but several nits can be placed on each hair at once.

Pubic lice manifest themselves as itching, which intensifies at night. Even an allergic rash around the bite sites is possible. Since the skin in intimate places is very delicate and sensitive, each bite can cause microbleeds. They appear on the skin as bluish or purple dots.

If you actively scratch the itchy area, blisters and even eczema may appear on the skin. On the underwear in contact with the affected area, dark brownish dots appear - the waste products of insects. The larger their number, the more difficult it will be to get rid of lice. Most often this is observed in the advanced stage.

Nits can also be seen, but only 1-2 weeks after they are laid. The fact is that the eggs of lice are tightly fixed on the hair, and as it grows, they rise.

If pediculosis is detected in one partner, then most likely the second one also needs treatment, because. the likelihood of infection is very high. In addition, an examination for the presence of sexually transmitted diseases is recommended, since lice often act as an indicator of their presence, contributing to a decrease in local immunity.

Diagnosis of pediculosis in children and adults

Pediculosis is detected through examination and dialogue with the patient. The hair is combed over white paper - so you can see the lice and nits. Insect eggs on the pubis can be seen with a magnifying glass.

The task of a dermatologist or venereologist is to distinguish pediculosis from other diseases, the symptom of which is itching. Differentiation is necessary from scabies and impetigo vulgaris.

In the first case, itching persists, but not bites are visible on the skin, but vesicular passages.
In the second, the rashes are similar to lice bites, but there is no itching.

Pediculosis treatment, preparations and treatment

preparations for the treatment of pediculosis photo

The most radical way to treat pediculosis on the head and in the pubic area is to shave off the hair, and thus get rid of lice for good, but this is not the most aesthetically correct way out.

Chemical therapy can only be carried out by those people who have been diagnosed with pediculosis. Treatment - drugs based on permethrin and its derivatives.

Permethrin is an insect poison with neurotoxic effects. The substance disrupts cation exchange in cell membranes, is available in the form of sprays and solutions. Permethrin is able to kill lice or significantly reduce their activity, and the patient will be able to get rid of insects mechanically - to catch or comb out (this step is always required).

"Nittifor", Hungary (similar to "Biogar")

The concentration of permethrin in the solution is 5%. Patients with long hair may need a whole bottle of solution - 60 ml, when used in the pubic area - 10-15 ml. "Nittifor" must be kept on the hair for at least 40-45 minutes so that the product has time to weaken the insects. Then the solution is washed off using shampoo, and the hair is thoroughly combed.

The use of "Nittifor" in the pubic area requires special care, since when it gets on the mucous membranes, the solution burns very much. If this happens, the area must be washed with alkali.

"Para-plus", France

The concentration of permethrin in the aerosol is 1%. Such a small content is due to the presence of another component - piperonyl butoxide, which enhances the effect of the main substance. Thus, in lice, bilateral intoxication occurs.

"Para-plus" is forbidden to be used for the treatment of children under 3 years of age.

The tool is quite aggressive, it should not be allowed to get on the mucous membranes, especially in the eyes. It is used in the form of a spray: the contents of the can are sprayed onto the scalp or the entire length of the pubic hair. Keep the drug for only 10 minutes, and then rinse with shampoo.

Immobilized lice are combed out with a comb treated with vinegar. "Para-plus" can cause a slight burning and tingling sensation, however, this symptom does not apply to manifestations of allergic reactions.

More recently, French experts have released a new tool with a similar composition, focused on the fight against pediculosis on the pubis and in the axillary zone - "Spray Fax". The tool is also available in the form of an aerosol, which is used once. According to the instructions, in order to get rid of nits and lice once and for all, it is necessary to apply the drug for half an hour and wash it off with soap.

Medifox Russia

The emulsion is available in two forms with different concentrations of the active substance: 4% and 20% permethrin. This is not a drug, but a remedy that fights lice on things that come into contact with human skin: bed linen, clothing, head and neck accessories.

The procedure begins with soaking things in an emulsion diluted according to the proportion indicated on the package. The exposure time is 40 minutes. Then you need to prepare a solution of soda ash: 1 tbsp. l. per 1 liter of water and leave things in it for a day. Only then it will be possible to proceed to the usual machine or hand wash.

"Khigia-shampoo" Bulgaria

Shampoos are the most convenient head lice remedies for children because they do not require long exposure to the hair and are less aggressive. The content of premethrin is 1%, and its action is enhanced by glacial acetic acid, which is part of the product as the main component.

Shampoo should be applied slowly, rubbing into the hair roots. If necessary, the procedure can be repeated after 10 days, but children are not recommended to wash their hair with "Higia" more than 2 times a month.

Alternative treatment of pediculosis

Traditional medicine advises the use of decoctions of wormwood and wild rosemary, fatty oils and kerosene rubbing are also held in high esteem. However, their effectiveness is practically zero.

A positive result can be achieved only if you apply masks and rubbing systematically for at least 3-4 months in a row. It is better to give preference to proven chemical agents - permethrin is not dangerous for the child's body, since it is destroyed upon contact with air and cannot penetrate the skin.

After each pediculosis treatment session, it is necessary to comb the hair on the head or pubis with a thick comb to ensure that lice and nits are collected. A few hours after the oxygen starvation, which is satisfied by the drugs, the insect can “move away” and begin to breed again.

As part of the prevention of pediculosis, it is necessary to wash bedding, clothes and wash your hair on time so as not to create favorable conditions for the appearance of insects. It is also not recommended to contact with already infected people until they are fully recovered.

Forecast

Pediculosis is often diagnosed in children and women of reproductive age. The causes, prevention, measures to combat the disease are simple and understandable, so the diagnosis should not cause serious concern.

You can be guaranteed to get rid of lice in 2-4 weeks, regardless of their location.

Irritation and allergic reactions can be completely avoided if you do not delay treatment, but contact a dermatologist immediately after the onset of itching. Pediculosis is a disease that is more physically and morally unpleasant than dangerous to human health and life.

Types of lice: a - head, b - body lice, c - pubic

Forms

There are three forms of pediculosis with different characteristics.

head lice

The saliva of a louse that gets under the skin of a person when bitten causes severe itching. Scratching leads to damage to the skin and the appearance of bloody crusts on the head. Ignoring the disease leads to more severe skin diseases (boils, dermatitis).

Clothes pediculosis

Body lice, reaching 0.5 centimeters in length, live and lay 6-14 nits in folds or along the seams on a person’s underwear and clothes, causing trunk pediculosis. Such lice come to the skin surface only for nutrition. Most often they can be found on the neck, lower back or in the area between the shoulder blades. Body lice bites cause itchy skin rashes that look like hives.

Pubic pediculosis

Bites of pubic lice, like head lice, cause intense itching, which results in scratching. In addition, spots from 3 millimeters in diameter, of a gray-bluish hue, are formed on the bitten places, in the center of which a bite point is noticeable. The spots disappear after 7-14 days.

The reasons

The primary causes of head lice are close contact with infected people and uncleanliness. However, one should not assume that compliance with hygiene rules completely prevents the onset of the disease: lice prefer to live on people who often wash their hair, since it is easier for them to suck blood on clean skin.

Infection with different types of lice from people occurs through direct hair contact or in public places with a large crowd of people, for example, in minibuses or in a pool. You can also pick up lice through the personal belongings of a sick person: combs, towels, underwear, clothes, hats, and so on. Pubic lice are almost always transmitted sexually, in rare cases when using shared toilets. It is impossible to get lice from animals.

Symptoms

Since the incubation period of the disease is quite long (from 30 days or longer), the first symptoms of pediculosis do not appear immediately. The main signs of the presence of lice are:

rashes on the skin, similar to acne or hives;
itching of the scalp or body;
blood growths (sores) on the scalp;
the presence of nits at the base or in the lower part of the hair;
small red spots on underwear (in this case, there may be pubic lice);
gray-blue spots on the skin;
severe scratching, blisters, pustules;
gluing the hair on the head into tangles.

Treatment

Treatment of pediculosis should comprehensively destroy both adult lice and their eggs. To get rid of each type of lice has its own characteristics. So, in order to get rid of pubic lice, it is necessary to remove the hair on the pubis, in the perineum and armpits, and then treat the sites of their bites with boric ointment (5%) to avoid inflammation or infection.

Body lice are removed by boiling, disinfecting with special preparations, or steaming all clothes and underwear of the infected, after which these items should be left to weather under the sun for about a week. The combination of steam and chemical treatment in a steam-formalin chamber very effectively eliminates lice on clothes. We must not forget that lice can accidentally remain on the skin or body hair of the patient, so it must be treated with a pediculocidal preparation.

For the treatment of head lice, you can use one of the many anti-lice products sold at the pharmacy, for example, shampoo or aerosol. Part of the nits survive even after the use of an anti-pediculosis drug, so it is imperative to get rid of them mechanically - sorting out the hair and removing the eggs glued to the bottom of the hair manually. After processing the head, it is also necessary to comb out the dead parasites with a metal comb with frequent teeth. For easier combing, you can lubricate your hair with balm, fat or oils (olive oil is harmful to surviving lice, and geranium oil heals bite wounds well).

B85 Pediculosis and phthiriasis

General information

Causes of pediculosis

Pathogenesis

The louse feeds on blood. The number of bites per day reaches 5-6. The duration of each feeding is 10-15 minutes. During a bite, insect saliva enters the wound, which contains a substance that prevents blood clotting. Protein and other components of arthropod saliva are foreign to the body. Their penetration into the blood causes a reaction of the immune system. Sensitization is manifested by itching, redness of the skin at the site of the bite.

Point damage to the skin is the entrance gate for secondary infection. Microorganisms that normally live on the skin cause an inflammatory reaction. Exudate, released from infected wounds and scratching sites, glues strands of hair together. A tangle is formed, or the so-called "Polish fold", under which optimal conditions are created for the active reproduction of insects.

Classification

Head lice are found all over the scalp, but more often in the area behind the ears and on the back of the head. Body lice live on any part of the body where there are fluffy hairs, in the folds of clothing. Their favorite localization is the inguinal region, the anterior surface of the chest, and the armpits. Ploshchitsy spend most of their time attached to the coarse hairs of the anogenital region. Due to the increasing popularity of oral sex, pubic lice are sometimes found on the eyebrows and eyelashes.

Places of body and head louse bites turn into erythematous papules up to 4 mm in diameter, located on an inflamed base. Ploshchitsa leaves behind bluish-blue spots. Pressure on the macula does not change the nature of its color. This is due to the peculiarities of the enzymatic composition of the saliva of the ploschitsa. The protein components of saliva form insoluble compounds with blood hemoglobin, which impregnate the skin and subcutaneous tissue.

Complications

A dangerous complication of head lice is typhus, an acute infectious disease caused by bacteria from the genus Rickettsia. It is characterized by a rash, fever, disruption of the cardiovascular, nervous system. The disease is extremely difficult, with delirium, thrombosis, thromboembolism. The possibility of death in the acute period of the disease and during the recovery period is not excluded.

Diagnostics

In a neglected case, it is not difficult to identify pediculosis. Infection is evidenced by characteristic clinical manifestations. It is much more difficult to timely detect the focus of lice in groups, when a few arthropods still do not make themselves felt. Diagnosis of pediculosis is carried out according to the following scheme:

Pubic lice are associated with the patient's promiscuity in choosing sexual partners. Detection of flats in adults is an indication for the appointment of additional tests for STIs. In children, pediculosis pubis, especially when lice are found in the eye area, indicates sexual abuse and requires the involvement of law enforcement officers.

Pediculosis treatment

In the focus of infection with lice, all contact persons are examined. Preventive treatment is prescribed to everyone who closely communicates with a patient with pediculosis. Identification of a case of pubic pediculosis requires the administration of pediculicides to the sexual partners of the patient. Treatment of pediculosis necessarily includes hygiene measures. Drug therapy involves the appointment of drugs from the following pharmacological groups:

Forecast and prevention

Pediculosis is one of the diseases that do not affect life expectancy. Treatment, subject to the selection of drugs that destroy insects at all stages of development, leads to a cure. Hygiene control, examination and treatment of contact persons, maintaining order and cleanliness in the home can reduce the risk of re-infection. In organized collectives, in order to prevent outbreaks of pediculosis, selective and mass examinations are carried out. Individual prevention of infection involves the use of personal hygiene items (combs, towels), clothing, bed linen.

Pediculosis is transmitted by close contact between people - the human louse cannot jump and fly, it crawls. The incubation period is several weeks. This photo below will help to see the external signs of the disease.

Thus, lice are very prolific, which affects the clinical picture of an infectious disease. In this regard, the pathology requires special treatment. A patient with any kind of pediculosis needs quarantine. How long it will last depends on the presence of complications of pediculosis.

The period when a person discovers signs of head lice can be up to 30 days. This is considered the incubation period for head lice. The second stage of the disease is its detection. It is better to entrust the diagnosis of pediculosis to a doctor.

Head type of pediculosis (Pediculus humanus capitis)

The maturation of eggs in the body of the female occurs on the 9-10th day and depends on the warmth of the human skin. If the temperature is less than 22 degrees, the nits do not ripen. In this state (on objects or things) they can be stored for about a year. A nymph (larva) appears from a mature egg on the 20-22nd day, which differs from an adult in the following features:

body dimensions;
lack of genitals;
color;
little activity.

Pubic type of disease (Pediculus pubis)

In some cases, pubic lice have been found in the beard and eyebrows. They feed on human blood, and without food they die after 24 hours. In addition, being outside the habitat, the insect is able to fall into a state of suspended animation, that is, slow down life processes. In this form, the pubic louse can be for several months.

The disease must be treated by a doctor. Preventive measures for head lice (disinfection, personal hygiene, ironing) will help to avoid infection.

Clothes pediculosis (Pediculus humanus corporis)

The causative agent lives on clothes, lays nits there. It feeds on blood, for this it moves to the human body. Clothes pediculosis occurs in people with an asocial way of life who ignore the rules of personal hygiene, as well as in people without a fixed place of residence.

Associated symptoms

Pediculosis, causes, prevention, control measures - these definitions concern many people who have a disease. Severe itching of the skin is a symptom of any type of pediculosis. Because of this, a person is tormented by insomnia. Constant scratching causes the formation of dried blood crusts, abscesses often appear.

With head lice, red, itchy spots spread throughout the scalp.
At the same time, many attached nits can be seen on the hair. They can be both alive and dead.

Symptoms of pubic pediculosis is that itchy bluish spots (3-10 mm) appear at the bite sites. Often they are common in the genital area, in the lower abdomen, on the buttocks. With clothes pediculosis, spots are localized throughout the body. The skin takes on a bluish tint.

Secondary symptoms of the disease are scratching on the skin, as well as sticky hair. If during the examination only a single individual without nits is found, the diagnosis of pediculosis is still made.

What are the most effective home treatments?

isolate the patient for the duration of treatment;
choose an acceptable remedy (folk or from a pharmacy);
carefully study the method of application and instructions;
adhere to the dosage for children and adults;
use the drug carefully, avoiding contact with the eyes;
Rinse thoroughly from hair.

Any remedy against lice requires careful use - the composition contains insecticides with a very pungent odor. It is important to observe the concentration of the drug. Children under 2 years of age and pregnant women should be treated by a doctor. The treatment of affected areas is performed following certain rules:

Use of pediculicides

Detected head lice requires immediate treatment, as it progresses rapidly and is transmitted to others. To combat lice, drugs from a pharmacy based on insecticides or enveloping compounds are suitable: shampoos, gels, aerosols, ointments, sprays.

Safer drugs for humans based on cyclomethicone or dimethicone. After application to the hair, the active substances of pediculocidal agents block the access of insects to oxygen, creating a thin airtight film around them.

The disadvantage of pediculocidal agents is the lack of effect on nits. The eggs remain alive, so it is necessary to re-apply the preparations to problem areas in a week. Treatment of pubic pediculosis is possible with both pharmacy and folk remedies.

Combing and shaving

Combing is done like this:

wash your hair with regular shampoo;
rinse clean hair with vinegar and water and dry;
plant an infected person with pediculosis with his back to the bathroom;
first comb out the occipital area, separating small strands;
periodically wash the comb with vinegar;
so comb the whole head.

The method is good because absolutely all patients can be cured - it does not cause allergic reactions. The negative point is that you can remove lice and get rid of lice by performing such actions for several days in a row. For a month, it is necessary to repeat combing after each hair wash.

A person who has not encountered this problem is concerned about the question of where lice come from and how it is infected. Pediculosis has been known to mankind since ancient Egypt. There are a lot of folk remedies to fight even with advanced pediculosis. The most famous are:

What complications can arise?

Complications of pediculosis can be very diverse. When neglected, complications may appear in the form of purulent wounds in the places of scratching and severe itching that interferes with sleep. Pediculosis is dangerous because dermatitis, papular urticaria, eczema appears on the head or body, coccal infection joins. Lymph nodes may enlarge.

Lyubov Ivanova

Reading time: 9 minutes

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Parents whose children attend kindergarten or school have heard about pediculosis. In the article you will learn what pediculosis is, the causes, symptoms and ways to treat the disease at home.

In the 21st century, in European countries, the peak incidence of pediculosis is in August, when the kids return from summer camps. There are outbreaks of the disease in sanatoriums, kindergartens and schools. Modern people live in better socio-economic conditions than their ancestors. The material well-being has also increased. Despite this, the level of infection with pediculosis is constantly increasing. In some countries, the defeat is epidemic.

Adult lice do not jump or fly, but crawl. Having reached the healthy hairline, they multiply rapidly, laying eggs - nits. Using chitin, they attach the nits to the hair shaft.

The lifespan of a head louse is one month. An adult lays up to ten eggs per day, which in one decade become immature individuals. A week later, maturation ends.

According to statistics, every fifth person is faced with pediculosis, regardless of social level. Therefore, the statement that lice is a disease of disadvantaged members of the population is incorrect.

Symptoms and causes of pediculosis

For many, lice causes great fear. I think it is worth being afraid of the dangerous complications that the disease can lead to. Lice often carry rickettsiosis and typhus.

Where can you get pediculosis?

The transmission of insects is facilitated by crowds of people. Lice are more likely to sit on clean hair, because in such conditions it is easier for them to get food and multiply.
You can pick up an infection in a hairdresser, swimming pool, hospital, bathhouse or subway. Even in the elevator of an ordinary residential building.
The spread of lice is facilitated by epidemics, wars, hunger strikes, when it is difficult to keep cleanliness.

If you carefully study the above list, you can see that the causes of the appearance of lice are social in nature. Pediculosis appears upon contact with an infected person, in a group of people, in the absence of personal hygiene.

The duration of the latent period of development of lice is 1-1.5 months. This time is enough for the female to lay a large number of eggs. Later, tiny larvae will appear from the nits, which, together with adult insects, begin to actively feed. At this point, symptoms of pediculosis appear. There are a lot of them, like a runny nose or chickenpox.

Symptoms

The bites are very itchy. With the pubic form of the disease, itching intensifies at night; with clothes pediculosis, it is unbearable. With head lice, the back of the head, temples and the skin area behind the ears suffer the most.
During a careful examination of the head, wounds are found at the site of the bites. Often, a severe rash appears in this area, indicating an allergic reaction to substances contained in the saliva of lice.
If the disease is not recognized for a long time, the skin is covered with scratches and excoriations, due to the constant scratching of the bite sites. In place of scratching, wounds appear, on the surface of which crusts form. Such scratching is dangerous, as it is an open door for infections.
The detection of nits braiding hair in the form of a tiny bubble is a typical manifestation of the disease. Live nits are yellowish in color, while dead nits are gray. If the nits are crushed with a fingernail, a click is heard.

Diagnosis of pediculosis is simple. The presence of the described symptoms, live lice, nits is evidence of the disease.

Types of lice

Many are of the opinion that lice are the lot of wartime and the homeless. In fact, these tiny and harmful insects can appear on the head of any person.

head louse

It lives in the scalp, giving preference to the temporal and occipital regions. In these places, the highest concentration of bites. Lice feed on blood. When bitten, an irritating substance enters the wound, causing itching.

Cootie

Activity on the body is fraught with itching and other troubles. The body louse carries dangerous diseases - fever, typhus. It differs from the head louse in its habitat - in the folds of clothing, where it lays eggs. The bites are located in the places of contact of clothing with the body: the collar area, knee bends, belt.

pubic louse

When lice appear, it is not necessary to go to the clinic. Modern pharmacology helps to treat pediculosis at home, and no one has canceled traditional medicine.

It is also possible to treat children at home, however, with certain exceptions. You will have to see a doctor if: the child is less than two years old, has allergies or asthma, lice and nits are located on the eyebrows and eyelashes.

Medical preparations

The range of medicines focused on the fight against pediculosis is quite extensive. Everyone will be able to choose an effective drug against annoying lice.

Any of the above drugs is focused exclusively on external use and is suitable for eliminating lice in children. Some pharmaceutical products have age restrictions.

Be sure to consult your doctor before use.

Folk remedies

Disadvantages and side effects of folk remedies

People consider naturalness to be the main advantage of folk remedies against pediculosis. This is true, but some have disadvantages and side effects.

Kerosene. In addition to the destruction of lice, it has a detrimental effect on hair follicles. Kerosene is poorly washed off, if it gets into the eyes, it starts a complex inflammatory process, and the vapors can provoke severe poisoning.
Vinegar. Dries out hair. If diluted incorrectly, severe burns will appear on the surface of the scalp. Vinegar should not be used to combat head lice in children.
dichlorvos. Toxic substance. Symptoms of poisoning: loss of consciousness, vomiting, convulsions, dizziness, rash, appear immediately after the vapor enters the respiratory system. If dichlorvos is on the surface of the skin, the listed symptoms appear after a few hours.

Each folk drug against pediculosis should be tested on the elbow before use. If after applying the product to the skin there is no reaction, it can be used as directed. If redness, burning and other symptoms appear, the homemade medicine should be washed off as quickly as possible.

Treatment of lice during pregnancy

During pregnancy, pediculosis treatment is prescribed, which is completely safe for mother and baby. The attending physician will help you choose the best methods of dealing with the disease.

The considered anti-lice remedies are effective and safe. If you plan to use these and other medicines, consultation with your doctor is essential.

Measures to prevent pediculosis

Prevention of infection with pediculosis should be given special attention by people whose work involves constant communication with vagrants and other antisocial personalities.

Prevention measures for head lice do not guarantee one hundred percent prevention of infection, but they significantly reduce the risk of the onset of the disease. They should not be neglected.

Prevention at home

Home prevention of pediculosis is important for children who regularly attend kindergartens and schools. To reduce the risk of infection of the child, it is necessary to regularly follow elementary preventive rules.

Comb your hair daily and carefully examine the child's head.
Collect long hair in girls in buns or braid pigtails.
Comb the curls and cut them regularly.
Change children's clothes and bed linen in a timely manner.

Any doctor will tell parents that they should have regular explanatory conversations with their children. During such conversations, it is necessary to convey to the child that pediculosis is a dangerous disease and in order to avoid it, you should not wear clothing and hats of other children. It is also necessary to constantly use your own hygiene items.

Prevention in kindergarten

Unfortunately, pediculosis in preschool institutions is a common occurrence, the causes of which lie in poor parental awareness regarding prevention.

According to the sanitary rules, kindergarten health workers must examine children upon admission and weekly after. The head of the kindergarten is obliged to treat the problem with responsibility and refuse to admit children infected with pediculosis. When a disease occurs, appropriate measures should be taken:

Isolation of infected children.
Finding the source of the lice.
Operational examination of children who have been in contact with the infected.
Informing the clinic where the sick child is registered.
Wet cleaning and disinfection.
Checking the condition of group rooms, lockers for clothes and boxes for toys.
Consultation of doctors regarding home prevention of pediculosis.

Prevention at school

Prevention of pediculosis in schools requires health workers to examine children at least 4 times a year. Random checks are carried out on a monthly basis. Children who are found to have lice must be suspended from school until the problem is resolved. Returning to studies is possible only if there is a certificate from a doctor. Healthy children should follow a number of simple rules.