Where do lice come from: causes of head, pubic and linen pediculosis

Lice are insects that are not able to fly, run fast and jump far. They do not appear from nowhere, do not parasitize animals and are not hibernated under human skin until a certain point. These insects as a "host" can choose a completely neat person who follows the rules of personal hygiene. And at the same time they are capable of parasitizing in the hair of asocial personalities who have long forgotten what soap is. So, where do lice come from and how does infection occur?

The main causes of head lice

Lice are able to parasitize only on humans, respectively, there is only one transmission method - from the infected they go to healthy. No other way of their distribution exists. But there are a lot of circumstances under which this infection can occur.

1. Sharing combs, towels, and pillows is the most common cause of lice. Moreover, both adult parasites and larvae can appear on the head of a previously healthy person.
2. Close bodily contact, for example, kisses, joint games, as well as being in crowded places, most often it is public transport, where during peak hours there is close contact with clothes or the head of a person standing nearby.
3. Sexual intercourse. Under such circumstances, you can become infected not only with head, but also with pubic lice.
   

   On a note! Infection with pubic lice occurs almost immediately after sexual intercourse. For this reason, some medical sources call pubic lice sexually transmitted disease!

4. Bathing in the baths when there is no change of water between the swimmers. It is known that these parasites can do without air for some time, so after an infected person several lice may remain in the water, who will happily jump onto a healthy victim.
5. Wearing fur hats after a pediculosis patient. Lice can mix up human hair with fur and move to a hat.
6. If we talk about lice lice, then these insects are transmitted exclusively through clothing or personal hygiene items.

On a note! It is known that linen louse He spends most of his time in the seams and folds of clothes, and he moves to the human body only to get enough blood. For this reason, infection with linen lice through bodily contact is the exception rather than the rule!

Speaking of lice, it is impossible not to mention nits. These are peculiar cocoons, inside which there are eggs of parasites. On the outside, the nits are coated with a sticky substance with which it is attached to the hair.

These cocoons are unable to move, and therefore it is impossible to get infected directly with nits. You can get nits only after the female is in the hair - it is she who will lay eggs, from which new individuals will appear in a short time.

Pediculosis

As practice shows, it is children who are in the main risk group for infection with lice, and this happens for a number of reasons:

• babies, being in a team, as a rule, rarely observe the rules of personal hygiene, because, due to their age, they do not quite understand their necessity. They can change clothes, share bedding, play with each other's toys;
• children often have close contact with each other - hugging, playing contact games, participating in joint brawls. With this pastime, it becomes clear where they come from lice on a child’s head;
• An important role is played by the fact that the kids have a fairly wide circle of friends and at the same time do not pay attention to the appearance of their friends and their social status. Therefore, the likelihood of contracting pediculosis increases significantly.

Mass lice

It is also worth finding out why lice appear in a large number of people. Factors of the spread of mass lice can be distinguished several:

• the general level of culture of the population, which is rather low;
• lack or non-observance of personal hygiene in society;
• frequent sexual intercourse with different partners, which is the main reason for the spread of pubic lice;
• special circumstances in which it is impossible to avoid communication and contact with infected people: prisons, refugee camps, field reservations, etc.

In addition, it is during the winter months that lice infection occurs especially frequently. This is due to the fact that most of the time a person spends in enclosed spaces, and therefore in constant close contact with other people.

On a note! In countries with a high standard of living, peaks of lice fall in the spring and autumn. In the first case, adolescents begin to communicate more actively with asocial personalities, in the second, after an active summer vacation, children come to schools, where lice spread.

Preventative measures

Despite the fact that there are quite a few ways of infection with lice, prevention is quite simple:

• avoid contact with persons leading an asocial lifestyle, as well as those whose appearance is in doubt;
• to exclude casual sexual relations and close bodily contact with unfamiliar people;
• do not share hairbrushes, hats, and clothing with anyone else.

In addition, children need to instill personal hygiene rules and regularly inspect their hair. After all, even with a slight infection, the child may be silent because of embarrassment or because of being ridiculed among his friends. Remember that avoiding infection with lice is much easier than subsequently treating head lice.