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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.
[16] [17] Normally head lice infest a new host only by close contact between individuals, making social contacts among children and parent child interactions more likely routes of infestation than shared combs, brushes, towels, clothing, beds or closets. Head-to-head contact is by far the most common route of lice transmission.
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 ]
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.
Sharing combs is a common cause of parasitic infections much like sharing a hat, as one user can leave a comb with eggs or live parasites, facilitating the transmission of lice, fleas, mites, fungi, and other undesirables. Siblings are also more likely to pass on nits to each other if they share a comb.