Do lice jump from head to head, can they fly, swim, etc.

Pediculosis (lice), like many diseases in general, is surrounded by many myths. And this is not surprising, because everything that concerns children is very important to us. Therefore, mothers try to find any information from any sources in order to help their child. The only pity is that the information is not always correct, and it is children who suffer from incorrect advice and assumptions.

We invite you to consider the most common myths about head lice so that you can do everything right if you encounter or have already encountered this problem.

Lice are the causative agent of pediculosis

There are several varieties of human lice. They differ in their habitat. Headworms live only on the scalp and in the human hair growing on the head. This is how they differ from pubic and wardrobe hair.

Parasites have a well-developed oral apparatus, with which they pierce the skin and suck out blood. When they bite, they inject saliva, which prevents the blood from clotting and causes severe itching. The louse feeds every 3-4 hours.

Lice infestation is called pediculosis. Signs of lice:

severe itching;
if there are a lot of bites, they constantly itch, scratches appear on the scalp that do not heal well;
wounds become infected, skin lesions can be significant;
with severe infection and a large number of parasites, many traces of their vital activity remain on the hair and skin, the hair becomes sticky, tangled, and tangles form;
a person with lice becomes irritable and nervous due to constant itching.

Lice can be detected visually. They are clearly visible on light hair. Dark ones require more attention. You can see nits at the roots of the hair; these are lice eggs.

Life cycle of lice

The life cycle of this parasite averages 35 days. First, the female lays eggs. Translucent oval nits are attached to the hair at the very base. They are very small and can be difficult to see. After 7 days, nymphs emerge from the eggs. They survive several moults and after 7 days they turn into an adult capable of reproduction. The female lays 4-5 eggs every day; in total, she lays about 120 eggs in her life. If you don't fight lice, they multiply very quickly.

Lice eggs are laid at temperatures above 32 degrees, that is, the temperature of the human body is optimal for their reproduction. When the temperature drops, lice do not reproduce, but their life cycle also takes longer. When the temperature drops to +10 degrees, the louse can live up to 10 days, hibernating. A nit can also survive difficult times even outside the human body, and then, when optimal conditions occur, hatch and continue to parasitize.

How quickly do head lice multiply after infection in a child and an adult?

There are medical statistics that determine the risk groups of people who most often become infected with pediculosis (lice):

Group 1: adolescents and young adults aged 14 to 25 years (every sixth person becomes infected);
Group 2: children under 14 years of age;
Group 3: people aged 35 years and older (least exposed to the disease).

The life cycle of the parasite occurs in both children and adults in the same way - in 16 days . But, unlike adults, children quickly respond to the appearance of lice: they begin to sleep poorly, scratch their heads, infection can be introduced into the wounds, and immunity decreases.

How many days does it take for a lice to lay its first eggs?

Eggs can be laid both by mature insects that came from another host, and by young individuals that have undergone a life cycle on an infected person.

As soon as a louse appears on the human body, it begins to feed and lay eggs . By the location of the nit on the hair, you can determine the period of infection and the beginning of egg laying;
The first instar nymph is capable of mating and laying nits . This means that after 8-10 days from the day of her birth, a new portion of developing parasites will appear;
After 16 days, a sexually mature individual develops from the nit, capable of laying eggs itself.

If an adult louse on the human body is in comfortable conditions, then the process of formation of new individuals goes on without stopping. And after 30 days the number of parasites will increase exponentially.

Methods of transmission of the disease

How is pediculosis transmitted?

The spread of the disease occurs through direct contact: through handshakes, hugs, kisses.

This is why children are most often infected: in kindergarten there are enough opportunities for such contacts.

You can also become infected through another person's belongings. The fact is that there are 3 types of lice: head, pubic and body lice. The latter prefer to live in the folds of textiles. They can be found not only in everyday clothes, but also in bedding. Therefore, when going on an overnight stay, you are not immune to the risk of catching lice.

Pubic lice are transmitted primarily during sexual intercourse. From intimate places they are able to move to other parts of the body (but usually do not settle in the hair on the head).

The disease can also be transmitted through household items, such as towels and underwear. Therefore, everyone should have their own personal belongings.

You can catch head lice mainly through contact with your hair, and also if you use someone else's combs, elastic bands or hairpins. Lice can live without food for up to 7 days. Therefore, simply by combing your hair with someone else’s comb, which a sick person has not used for a week, you can catch lice. In addition, lice are able to swim and survive in water for a long time. So the risk of infection in a pool or open body of water is also quite high.

Do lice jump?

So, these small insects have a rather specific body structure. They have a large and heavy body, their legs are short and weak, therefore, even with a strong desire, they will not be able to jump.

But in the absence of such an ability, they can move very quickly, which contributes to their rapid spread. In 20 seconds they can cover a distance of 15 centimeters.

Relatively long distances, they can overcome them, but only if there is no power source nearby. They need regular food, in addition, they must increase the population, so they are looking for a new victim, where they can parasitize and lay offspring without hindrance.

How does lice infestation occur?

Lice can live off the human head for a limited time, up to 2 days. That is, you can catch lice, for example, on long-distance trains, on the headrests of seats in transport, and in other public places. You can become infected even in a swimming pool or bathhouse in the water, and at elevated air temperatures, lice can live for some time.

The main ways of becoming infected with lice:

in very close contact with an infected person;
when using his personal belongings;
in common areas.

It is believed that lice appear in people who do not maintain personal hygiene. This is wrong. Lice are attracted to blood, and not other human secretions, so they live on both clean and dirty hair and skin. People with an antisocial lifestyle do not have the opportunity to fight parasites, so they are more likely to become infected from them. You don't need to wear their hats or use their combs (if they exist) to do this. It's enough just to walk or stand nearby.

Can parasites jump?

Many people think that these tiny insects can move from one person to another, like fleas. Therefore, to the question of whether lice jump from head to head, the answer will be negative.

Let's start with the fact that lice have a fairly massive body, which is not suitable for active movement. Nature has not endowed their paws with any mechanism that allows them to jump. These insects can only tightly grasp a thin human hair and hang on to it.

So, can a louse jump? No! Thanks to this, we can safely contact other people at a distance without fear of getting infected. Please also note that these insects are able to move quite quickly, so you should avoid hair contact with an infected person. All it takes is a brief hug for a louse to move onto your head. That is, infection can occur very quickly.

What happens after infection

Like any other organisms, these parasites instinctively try to preserve their species. Therefore, they begin to actively reproduce. At first, not everyone can feel the presence of lice on their body. After all, they bite weakly, and there is no need to actively move around the body.

Only after 2 weeks will new parasites appear from the eggs laid by the adults.

During this period, the larvae actively grow and feed. Therefore, a person begins to itch constantly. Unbearable itching for some time causes a variety of assumptions in people: from stress to an allergic reaction to food or cosmetics. But very soon the real cause of the itching becomes clear.

During this period, young individuals move very quickly and it seems that the whole head and body are itching. This is why it is assumed that lice jump or fly.

In fact, there can be many of them, and they spread freely throughout the body, where they can easily reach the blood vessels.

One female can lay 200-300 larvae in a month, so if the treatment process is delayed, the number of lice on the body of one person can increase very quickly.

Types of lice

There are three types of lice in humans, namely:

head;
clothes;
pubic.

Three types of lice

We will discuss each type in more detail below.

Head louse

Of the three types of lice that live on humans, the most common is the head louse. The name itself indicates where this insect prefers to parasitize. The scalp and very rarely the beard, eyebrows, mustache - these are the places where it can settle. It is not adapted to live in other parts of the body.

Head louse

The parasite feeds exclusively on human blood, injecting a toxic substance into the wound at the time of the bite, causing severe itching. With subsequent scratching of the lice’s “meal” areas, a secondary infection may develop, manifested in the form of redness, crusts, and local inflammation.

Parasites reproduce very quickly: one female during her monthly life is capable of laying up to 2-3 hundred eggs (nits), attaching them to hairs a few centimeters from the scalp.

Do head lice jump or crawl? These parasites crawl very quickly, but the existing misconception that lice jump is initially false. Their paws are not adapted to repel the body, but they are quite capable of deftly moving along hairs and even swimming.

Cootie

The body louse (also known as underwear or body louse) is, relatively speaking, a relative of the head louse. Their structure is in many ways similar: the same elongated body, legs unadapted for jumping. They have different colors and habitats. Body lice live in the folds and seams of clothing and underwear that their owner often wears. The parasite will not be able to live for a long time in things put away in a closet for a long time: after 1-3 days it will simply die due to lack of food.

Cootie

The main food of body lice is also human blood. Living in clothing, the parasite moves onto the host’s body for food, choosing areas without hair, without going far from its permanent place of “residence.”

Interestingly, head and body lice never change their permanent habitat, being unadapted to live anywhere else. That is, even if “relocated” to another person, a head louse can live only on the head, and a body louse can live in the clothes of the new owner.

Pubic louse

Pubic lice (pubic lice) are slightly different from the previous two in appearance. Their body is less elongated, so they are noticeably smaller than their “brothers”. Their mobility is also not so developed: having clawed their paws into human skin, they prefer to sit rather than crawl. Their legs are quite massive, but short, adapted more for firmly holding the body in place, so their movement cannot be called active, and the very question of whether lice jump is definitely not about flatheads.

Pubic louse

The pubic louse lives mainly in the hairy area of the groin (pubic area), perineum, and around the anus. In particularly advanced cases, which is less common, it can “emigrate” to the armpits, mustache, eyebrows, eyelashes, and chest hair in men. As the lice move to other parts of the host’s body, the degree of development of pediculosis is determined.

This parasite feeds on the same thing – human blood. At the moment of the bite, the louse tightly clings to the skin with its claws, and tearing it away from the body while eating is very problematic.

All these parasites are blood-sucking, they do not jump or fly (for lack of wings) and spend their entire lives only on the body of the carrier, which, however, in convenient cases can be replaced, but only with another person. Neither head, nor body, nor pubic lice live on animals, so it is impossible to infect or become infected with these parasites from a pet.

What to do first

The first thing you need to do is try to protect your loved ones. Even if you still suspect the presence of the disease, you should immediately change your bed linen (wash dirty ones at high temperature), wash your combs, hairpins, etc. After this, you can try looking for parasites.

It is quite difficult to detect pubic lice: due to their color, they practically merge with human skin.

Body lice are larger than their counterparts, so they can be seen on things or skin in places where itching is felt. More details in this video:

The most common type of parasite, hair lice, is the most difficult to detect. To do this, you will need a fine-toothed comb. You can look for lice on both dry and wet hair. Comb them with a regular comb, and then run a fine comb from root to tip along each strand and carefully watch what remains on the comb. Particular attention should be paid to the areas behind the ears and on the neck (the place where hair begins to grow). It is not always possible to see the lice themselves on a comb, but you will find nits (white larvae) very quickly.

Ways to combat pediculosis

You can get rid of lice yourself. Buy a remedy for head lice at the pharmacy. Usually this is a lotion or shampoo, the main active ingredient in which is permethrin. The product is applied for 8-12 hours and then washed off.

In order for it to work effectively, you need to wrap your head with plastic wrap or wear a special shower cap.

There are also more convenient means to use, for example, an aerosol. Just spray it on your hair and rinse with water after 10-15 minutes.

Some try to get rid of lice using folk remedies, believing that the body does not need additional chemicals. One of the common treatment methods is treating hair with kerosene mixed with vegetable oil. This method is quite effective. But at the same time, there is a high probability of getting burns and severely weakening your hair.

Other folk remedies include tar soap, geranium oil, pomegranate juice, etc. But if soap somehow helps to cope with an unpleasant illness, then other means are ineffective. Whatever method of struggle you choose, you need to keep in mind that treatment should not be a one-time treatment. In most cases, a course of drugs is required. And the point here is not that the products cannot get rid of lice in one go: an adult is capable of laying eggs every 8 days. And the offspring themselves reach sexual maturity very quickly. To prevent the rapid spread of parasites, you need to use the products for several weeks.

Combing can also be one of the methods of getting rid of an unpleasant disease. This especially applies to children: after all, except for tar soap, not a single drug can be called completely safe for a growing organism.

It is best to carry out the procedure in the evening, when the child’s activity is minimal. You will have to comb out nits for a long time: to completely get rid of lice, you will have to spend evenings with a comb for several weeks.

When carrying out treatment, you need to regularly wash bed linen, towels and other personal items, and then be sure to iron them. It is better to carry out cleaning daily, and blankets, outerwear, and soft toys should be taken out into the cold more often (if treatment is carried out in winter). By following these simple rules, you can completely get rid of lice in a few weeks. In order not to become infected with them, you must always remember that using other people’s things is strictly prohibited.

Lice

The disease, which we know as pediculosis, has been tormenting people for many hundreds of years. In Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the most common preventive measure was shaving the head. The cause of the disease is parasitism of one type of lice (head, body or pubic). In the latter case, the disease has a slightly different name - phthiriasis.

Now briefly about what lice are. The average length of an insect is only 5-6 mm. At the same time, you can see a very small head and a fairly voluminous abdomen. As you know, lice feed on human blood. This becomes possible thanks to the structure of the oral apparatus, which is represented by a tube, hooks and stylets. Can lice jump from person to person, and how do they stay in place? The insect's paws, which have curved claws that resemble claws in appearance, help the insect to firmly attach itself to hair or things.

Briefly about reproduction. Female lice are capable of laying eggs (nits) from which they hatch into almost sexually mature individuals (slightly smaller in size than adults). After just a few months, they also become capable of reproducing offspring.

Can head lice live on people other than humans?

Yes, head louse can exist outside of human skin and hair. For example, they can live for some time in a pillow, blanket, bedding, clothing and hats, upholstered furniture, combs and hair accessories. They can live and move on any surface, even in water. You can catch lice, for example, on the beach they can move on sand or pebbles.

The louse crawls quite quickly and can run about 50 cm in a minute.

The head louse is a human parasite. That is, it does not feed on the blood of dogs, cats, other animals and birds. They have their own parasites. But the louse can live temporarily on animals. For example, a dog can bring back a louse that has fallen on it from a walk, and an insect can pass from a dog to a person.

Adults can live outside humans for no more than two days. They usually die earlier within 24 hours, since they are left without food, and they need food every 3-4 hours. Nits can remain outside the human body for up to 4 days.

Lice live in a wide range of temperatures. When the temperature drops below 10 degrees, they hibernate. At temperatures below 8 degrees they die. At high temperatures they can survive if the heating is short-lived. If cooked for a long time, they die.

Lice are a priori human parasites

Human blood is very attractive to lice. In particularly hungry cases, it is possible to switch to eating rabbit or guinea pig blood. However, this type of nutrition is harmful to them.

Insect infested man

Many people, especially young mothers, are interested in the question: is it possible to get lice from a person, a dog or another animal? Lice do happen in animals. But these are not the ones that parasitize on humans.

Human blood can carry more oxygen because red blood cells are smaller in size and there are more of them in a given unit of volume.

In addition, human blood has a different composition of inorganic substances, different from the composition of animal blood.

Parasites feel all this very well. That's why they are attracted to human blood.

From the above, we can draw a reliable conclusion about the object that is a carrier of pediculosis.

The carrier of the disease is an infected person, and only a person.

Therefore, the myth about the transmission of lice by animals has once again been debunked.

Another question is how can lice be transmitted from person to person? Are lice transmitted during simple conversation? How dangerous are nits and do they pass from a sick person to a healthy one? How quickly can they reproduce?

How can parasites be transmitted?

When the lice remain in favorable conditions for a sufficiently long period of time, they begin to lay eggs (nits). With the help of a sticky secretion, nits are attached to the base of the hair and cannot move on their own. Consequently, there is no way for them to move from a person suffering from pediculosis to a healthy one. However, the fact of their timely detection and destruction is extremely important. After all, the larvae emerging from nits are ready for reproductive activity after 9-12 days.

The anatomy of parasites does not make it possible to move by any method other than crawling measuredly from place to place, developing a speed of 23 cm per minute. Therefore, there is only one possible option for lice infection - direct contact with them. How lice are transmitted:

The patient’s personal belongings are a direct path to infection

Lice are excellent swimmers. In the aquatic environment they can survive up to three days. If sanitation standards are not observed in places such as saunas or swimming pools, then a louse can easily end up on the head of a healthy person.
If you lie on a bed where someone with lice has previously slept, the parasites will migrate to your head.
Likewise, they will end up on your head when playing with an animal on whose fur a louse has fallen from the patient’s head. However, this is possible immediately with simultaneous contact. If the parasite stays on the animal’s fur for 1-2 days, it will die.
In close contact, people can become infected from each other. Moreover, the contact must be long-lasting.
Sharing personal items (combs, hats, towels, bedding, hairpins) leads to infection.
Parasites can exist without human blood for a week. During this period, they can find and migrate to a new victim. This can happen on the beach, in hospitals, kindergartens.

Modern medical science knows for certain that some types of illnesses arise against the background of stress. Pediculosis is no exception.

One of the theories suggesting their appearance for this reason is the one that connects the reaction of parasites to increased sweat production during nervous excitement.

However, most scientists consider this fact absurd and far from the truth. This is probably due to a decrease in immunity against the background of stressful situations, when the body's resistance is low.

How dangerous are lice?

Head lice cause lice. This disease is unpleasant in itself. The bite sites itch, the person scratches the wounds. They can become infected and take a long time to heal. Crusts appear on the head. Bites can also cause allergic reactions. Without treatment, lice will multiply endlessly. With severe damage, many traces of lice on their body, empty shells of nits, excrement, and saliva remain on the scalp and hair. All this covers the hair, tangles it, tangles form, and an unpleasant odor appears.

Unlike body lice, which carry typhus, for example, or pubic lice, which carry sexually transmitted diseases, head lice are less dangerous. But you can’t help but fight them.

Prevention measures

In educational institutions, to prevent head lice, children are periodically examined and a special log is kept. Your baby's head should be checked every week at home. The place should be with good lighting; use a fine-toothed comb and a magnifying glass. Children need to have a conversation about the dangers of head lice, routes of transmission, and symptoms.

It is forbidden:

putting on another person's things;
use other people's combs;
hugging strangers;
swim in the pool without a rubber cap;
use other people's towels;
spend the night in bed without changing bedding.

Symptoms of head lice do not appear immediately. Itching is caused by the saliva of parasites, which they release into the blood to thin it. Over time, the substance accumulates. An allergic reaction occurs and unbearable itching appears. With constant scratching, scratches, abrasions, and scratches form on the body and head. If the infection becomes severe, the wounds become infected and complications develop.

Despite the large number of remedies for head lice, the disease continues to torment people. To avoid trouble, it is necessary to adhere to the rules of prevention, check children’s heads, respond to itching in a timely manner, and carry out effective treatment. To get rid of linen lice, you need to tidy up not only yourself, but also your things and bedding.

How to deal with head lice

Lice can be seen in good lighting and without additional equipment. Detecting nits is more difficult. They may look like hair product residue or dandruff. Nits are usually located behind the ears, along the hairline on the neck.

Combing hair is not only a way to detect parasites, but also one of the mechanical ways to combat them. It only works in one case, if there are very few insects and their eggs in the hair, that is, immediately after infection. Careful brushing can remove all adults and individual eggs. But if even one nit remains, in a few days everything will repeat itself, the insects will multiply.

Important: if the disease is detected in one family member, it is necessary to check all other household members for the presence of head lice and nits.

It is impossible to wash off lice with regular water. They are not afraid of water and can live in it for up to two days. Regular shampoos don't help either.

If the hair is short, the treatment will be faster and more effective. With a short hair length, there is little space left for laying eggs, so the rate of parasite reproduction decreases. And it's much easier to process short hair. Shaving your head has always been the most effective way to control lice. But this is not always possible for aesthetic reasons.

Traditional methods

There are many folk remedies to combat lice. They are preferred for use in cases of head lice infestation in children. It is believed that folk remedies are less harmful and cannot harm health.

To combat lice use:

washing hair with kerosene;
vinegar wrap;
rinsing with tansy infusion or wormwood decoction;
masks made from crushed cranberries;
masks made from onion pulp.

Kerosene and vinegar are good because they not only kill insects, but also clean the hair roots and dissolve the substance that attaches nits to the hairs. After this treatment, it is easier to remove them from the hair.

The danger of these methods is that, firstly, you need to know the exact concentration and time of exposure, otherwise you can burn your scalp or get an allergic reaction. Secondly, kerosene and vinegar damage hair; it will take a long time to restore it after such treatment. Traditional methods require repeated use. The fight against lice can take a long time, and during this time new individuals will appear from the nits remaining on the hair.

Dust soap is effective against lice and nits. They wash their hair with it several times for several days in a row. It is necessary to rinse your hair well and comb out dead insects and eggs from your hair each time.

Effective treatment

An effective way to get rid of lice is to use special lotions or sprays. These pediculicides can get rid of lice in one application. If the infection is severe, it will take longer.

We offer medications for treatment: Medilis-BIO, Medilis-Malathion, Medilis-Permifen, Medilis-Super. Lotions are rubbed into the scalp, left on the hair for a certain time required for effect, after which the head is thoroughly washed. To remove nits and dead insects remaining in the hair, the hair must be combed thoroughly.

A spray differs from a lotion only in the form of application. Spraying the head is a more dangerous method, since with such application you can inhale a dangerous substance. It is not dangerous to humans in itself, but in high concentrations it can cause allergic reactions. Spray products are not recommended for use in the treatment of children, pregnant women, people suffering from asthma and respiratory diseases.

When using any means, you must follow safety precautions, in particular, protect your eyes from contact with toxic substances. Leave the product on your head for no more than the permitted time to prevent skin irritation and chemical burns. When processing, it is necessary to provide access to fresh air into the room; after processing, the room must be ventilated.

Each drug has instructions for use, which must be strictly followed.

These products are not suitable for treating pregnant and lactating women and children under 5 years of age. For them, it is better to use less dangerous folk remedies.

When using any professional or folk products, in addition to the head, you need to treat combs, towels, everything that can come into contact with the hair, and where lice can move.

Folk remedies for lice are more effective and safe than pharmaceutical “chemistry”

Over the centuries-old history, humanity has accumulated extensive experience in getting rid of lice using various means. This includes vinegar, kerosene, dust soap, and various essential oils.

This is not to say that all these remedies do not work. They work, but not 100%. Folk remedies can only get rid of adult lice, but are practically ineffective against nits (lice eggs). Therefore, once the nits develop into adult lice, the procedure must be repeated again. In addition, such products often cause burns to the scalp, damage the hair and leave many unpleasant impressions.

Pharmaceutical products for head lice are the best way to get rid of lice. They are effective and safe even when used in children (you must read the instructions before use and do not use them in children under the specified age). However, special products do not always get rid of lice 100%, because lice develop resistance to some of them, and some of these products are ineffective against nits.

Read below about how to choose a high-quality and proven drug.

Preventing lice infestation

As mentioned above, no one is immune from head lice. Most often, children are susceptible to it after being in a group. It is easy to pick up parasites at a health camp and even at school. One person can spread pests many times over. Children bring lice home from children's institutions and infect all family members with them. It is impossible to guarantee yourself protection from this, but some measures should be taken to get rid of pests immediately and prevent a severe infestation.

What you need to do to avoid getting lice:

Do not under any circumstances wear other people’s hats;
do not use other people’s combs and hair accessories;
avoid direct contact with people who do not maintain personal hygiene and lead an antisocial lifestyle;
regularly inspect children’s heads for nits and lice;
If you suspect an infection, comb your hair, you can use weakly concentrated anti-parasitic shampoos.

You can use parasite repellents. It is believed that they do not like strong odors, for example, tea tree, geranium, caraway, mint, etc. You can use herbal decoctions to rinse and flavor your hair. This will not protect against infection 100 percent, but it may repel insects.

The main thing when you detect pests in your hair is not to turn a blind eye to the problem and start fighting immediately. This way you can get rid of them faster and without harm to your health.

Lice jump or fly

No, lice do not jump or fly. Unlike fleas, their tenacious legs are designed only to hold tightly to human hair, but they are not suitable for jumping. In addition, lice have a fairly massive body and no wings. All this would make them extremely vulnerable to parasites if they could not crawl. They do this masterfully quickly and deftly: they only need a few seconds to jump on someone’s head.

Is it true that head lice can get from dirt if you don't wash for a long time?

No: contrary to popular belief, these parasites do not appear spontaneously in humans, i.e. from dirt, they can only be transmitted from another infected person. But there are other types of human lice that are more capricious and are infested precisely because of poor personal hygiene: body lice and infrequent changes of underwear.

Can lice that have left the head breed again?

No, lice do not live long after they are removed from the head! The eggs require constant contact with a warm human head and die within a few hours of removal. Larvae and adults need blood for timely molting, maintenance of life and reproduction, so they will also die a maximum of 2 days after removal. So don’t go to extremes in your fears: lice can only survive on the head of the owner. They do not crawl on carpets, furniture or vehicles (like a bus) in search of a new owner, but simply die, leaving their heads.

Is it possible to get infected in transport, cinema or at work?

As for public places, you can also become infected in transport, during sports activities, as well as in the theater and other places where unfamiliar (barely familiar) people are forced to be nearby.

Police officers, doctors, social workers and other people who, due to their duties, are forced to come into contact with a large number of strangers, are also at particular risk. How can they protect themselves? For example, use tea tree oil as a lice repellent.

Is it possible to get lice at home?

Yes this is true. The most common places where adults can get lice are at home and in public places. And lice are usually brought home by small children from kindergartens and less often from school or brought from summer camp. Therefore, it is believed that lovers, families and even neighbors and hostel residents are at particular risk, since they spend a lot of time together while being close to each other.

Can you get lice while taking a selfie?

Yes, there is such a danger, because during selfies people are usually head to head and this is an ideal path for lice to travel. These parasites only need a few seconds to cover the small distance between the heads of two people. Therefore, it is better not to take pictures with just anyone!

How do you get lice?

There are several options for transmitting lice:

Adult lice usually simply crawl from the hair of an infested person to another head and are transmitted through head-to-head contact. A louse can manage to crawl unnoticed even during a short kiss or hug with a person carrying lice.
Lice eggs are rare, but can be transmitted through shared household and hygiene items: combs, elastic bands, towels, pillowcases
Eggs may be in the folds of clothing. Do not wear other people's clothes and hats, this may result in infection!

You can get infected from any patient, but the more lice an infected person has, the more dangerous the contact with him. People are most infective when they have adult head lice because... newborn larvae do not leave the host territory. Try to stay away from such people if you are forced to be in the same room with him and notice that someone is crawling in their hair.

Is it true that lice appear more often on people with straight, long hair?

Yes, this is partly affected by hygiene, hair type and length. But, as we said above, lice do not start from dirt, the level of hygiene in this case affects in a completely unexpected way. Lice are not selective and can appear on anyone, but it is believed that they would rather prefer clean (!), long and straight hair, from the roots of which fat, dust and skin flakes have been washed away so it is easier to cling to them.

Why straight lines? Different hair (straight, curly or very curly) has a different section and number of hair shafts. So, straight hair has a round cross-section and one shaft is convenient for lice to grab onto. According to research, African Americans rarely get lice because they have very curly hair.

Why long? Often they are simply loose and not tied up, making it easy for lice to climb up them and settle at the roots. In addition, there is an opinion that nervous people are more likely to suffer from lice: supposedly they worry more, sweat more, and this attracts lice.

Is it true that only children get lice?

No, that's not entirely true. Lice are indeed common in children aged 3 to 12 years, since they usually spend a lot of time together in groups. And it costs lice nothing to crawl from one head to another. In kindergarten, children play together and sleep in adjacent beds, so if one child has lice, there is almost a 100% chance that all of them will soon have lice. In addition, young children often do not look for the causes of itching in the head and do not complain about it, but simply scratch their heads. Therefore, schools and kindergartens should conduct periodic medical examinations of children for head lice. But adults can also become infected: absolutely no one is immune.

Is it possible to clearly determine how long ago the infection occurred?

Almost impossible. If you come to your senses and see a lot of lice on your head, then it is obvious that you have been their carrier for a long time. As a reminder, it only takes about 3 weeks for a generation of lice to become adults and begin producing their next offspring. Also keep in mind: nits are usually white in color, but as they approach hatching time they turn brown. This color means that larvae are already sitting inside, ready to hatch.

Is it possible to get lice from pets - cats and dogs?

No: domestic animals have their own types of lice, but they are strictly species-specific and cannot be transmitted to humans or animals of other species. For example, cat lice will not feed on the blood of a person, dog, or other creature. Human head lice also cannot affect anyone except other humans and some very closely related species of monkeys.

Myths about lice

Now let's take a look at the most popular myths about these blood-sucking parasites:

Distribution at a distance. As already mentioned, infection by these insects most often occurs through contact, personal belongings and clothing. They are not adapted to travel long distances.
They can jump. As we have already found out, these insects do not have wings and, of course, they do not have the ability to fly. They also cannot jump, unlike fleas. But despite this, it is imperative to beware of infection in crowded places, since they skillfully crawl from one person to another. They can also get on a person if the carrier shakes his head violently and the louse flies over.
Animals can cause infection. The fact is that lice are human parasites and cannot parasitize animals, since their body acts as an unfavorable environment. Animals have a higher body temperature than humans, and therefore their food differs from human food. Likewise, fleas cannot parasitize humans.
Pediculosis is a childhood disease. Pediculosis is a disease that affects absolutely all people, regardless of gender, age, or cleanliness. This opinion exists for the reason that children are more likely to become infected. This is due to the fact that children come into contact with each other more often than others, they do not keep distance during games, they try on each other’s clothes, especially hats, so the spread occurs quickly.
Pediculosis affects people who do not follow the rules of personal hygiene. An erroneous opinion, which we have already sorted out. People who do not follow the rules of hygiene may not pay attention to the symptoms, and therefore do not carry out treatment; in this case, they act as carriers and spread lice. But insects still love to parasitize on clean skin.
You can get rid of lice using shampoos and other personal hygiene products. If we are talking about adults, then you can get rid of them by using products with essential oils that repel them with a rich aroma. But nits are resistant to odors, so this method does not work for them.

How to get rid of lice in 5 steps

Knowing the mechanisms of the appearance and reproduction of lice, it becomes clear: it is dangerous to get rid of them somehow or not completely. Even a couple of eggs left in the head can again create a colony of blood-sucking lice. But you don't need to shave your head, especially if your hair is long. This is too radical a solution to the problem, and it is only suitable for brutal men or very young children. You don't have to sacrifice your hair to get rid of lice, just be consistent and patient and use the right products. We present you our step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Head Exam

Infestation in this case is the presence of living adult lice, young larvae and/or white (brown) eggs. Look for any possible signs of head lice by examining all areas of the scalp. Pay special attention to the back of the head and the area behind the ears. Not only the sick person, but also those who are in close contact with him are subject to examination. Therefore, keeping silent about lice is a very bad option! If you or your child has lice, it is not your fault, so it is better to inform those closest to you.

Step 2: Preparing Tools: What you will need to get rid of lice

To get rid of head lice, you will need a pediculicidal shampoo, a special comb for combing out eggs and adult lice, and oil (tea tree, olive) to make combing out easier. Simply washing your hair with regular shampoo will not solve the problem; you will just waste time! Lice are too tight in your hair! It is better to use these products in combination with each other to ensure that you get rid of all stages of lice: adults, larvae and eggs.

In addition to the main products, you may also need auxiliary tools: nail scissors, cloth, a bowl of water, a magnifying glass and a regular comb.

Step 3: Shampoo

Pediculicidal shampoo is the first stage of head lice treatment. Getting rid of adult lice (eggs, to a lesser extent) largely depends on the effectiveness of the shampoo. In this regard, the question arises about active substances with a proven pediculicidal effect. What to look for in a shampoo? Pyrmethrin and pyrethrin are the most active and effective pediculicides.

Step 4: Combing out nits with a comb

Step 5: Cleaning and washing

The two most important measures in the fight against head lice are shampooing and combing. Since lice do not live long after being removed from the head, cleaning the house will not have any effect on the development of head lice. It is needed more to maintain hygiene (removal of lice feces and dead nits) and your own peace of mind. This includes washing and vacuuming:

Wash the bed linen, towels and clothing of the infected person in hot water (at least 60 C). Also pay special attention to hats and outerwear. It’s even better to dry all items in a hot dryer after washing and then iron them with a hot iron. If items cannot be washed at home, take them to the dry cleaner.
Use a vacuum cleaner to clean the sleeping area, upholstery and carpets that may contain hair with glued nits. Don't forget about any objects that could come into contact with your head, such as car seats.

Do without fanaticism: the cleaning measures given are quite enough to live peacefully in your home after recovery. There is no need to douse furniture and household items with insecticides; it is better to spend more time brushing your hair daily.

Lice - a childhood disease

No. Parasites do not care at all how old their victim is. The main thing is to have hair to feel safe. In children's groups, lice are common due to the large number of participants and due to the fact that children do not have any special barriers to communication with each other: children willingly try on each other's hats and hairpins during play, exchange fluffy toys, often hug and make contact in every possible way . If one child in a group develops lice, then within a couple of days the parasites may appear in others. All members of their families, regardless of age, will have to undergo preventive procedures.