Know Your Enemy –Lice and Some Hard-Hitting Facts
Having lice isn’t a sign or result of dirty hair or unhygienic living 
conditions. Mayo Clinic defines head lice as:
“An obligate ecto-parasite found on the heads of humans, head lice are tiny, wingless insects that live and feed on the blood of the human scalp. A head lice infestation (pediculosis humanus capitis) affects children more than adults, but can also transmit on adults due to direct transfer of lice.”
Head lice are a very common issue according to Mayo Clinic and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It’s the second most common communicable diseases that affect schoolchildren, with the first being the common cold!
So you should not think you follow bad hygiene practices nor have bad personal hygiene if you have lice because lice don’t discriminate between clean and dirty hair.
conditions. Mayo Clinic defines head lice as:
“An obligate ecto-parasite found on the heads of humans, head lice are tiny, wingless insects that live and feed on the blood of the human scalp. A head lice infestation (pediculosis humanus capitis) affects children more than adults, but can also transmit on adults due to direct transfer of lice.”
Head lice are a very common issue according to Mayo Clinic and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It’s the second most common communicable diseases that affect schoolchildren, with the first being the common cold!
So you should not think you follow bad hygiene practices nor have bad personal hygiene if you have lice because lice don’t discriminate between clean and dirty hair.
How Many Head Lice Cases In The United States Every Year?
Exact data isn’t available however; 6-12 million infestations are estimated to occur each year. The subjects are mostly children between 3 and 11 years of age. Studies show that girls contract the parasites more often than boys, perhaps due to them having long hair and frequent head-to-head contact. According to a professor of dermatology, Terry Meinking at the University Of Miami School Of Medicine, higher rates of lice infestations occur in Florida, California, Texas, and Georgia. This is largely due to the warmer climates in these states.Knowing Head Lice Facts Will Help in Lice Removal
Understanding head lice and their behaviors will help educate you and your family regarding effective lice treatment Miami Beach. A few things to know:- These parasitic wingless insects only attack humans. You cannot contract head lice from your pets, or vice versa.
- They are very small in size; 2.1-3.3 mm in length (if adult) and can be tan, brown, or black in color.
- Head lice prefer a warm and dark environment. Hence, they are usually discovered behind the ears, at the nape of your neck and under a ponytail.
- Head lice attach their eggs at the base of the hair shaft.
- Lice cannot fly or hop. They move by crawling really fast.
- Head lice’s main feeding source is human blood from the scalp. This is why they die just within one to two days of being off any host.
- A female louse lays up to 10 eggs daily which hatch in 2-3 days.
