Also called: Also called: Pediculosis
Head lice are parasitic wingless insects. They live on people's heads and feed on their blood. An adult is called a louse and is about the size of a sesame seed. The eggs, called nits, are even smaller - almost like a dandruff flake. Lice and nits are easiest to detect at the neckline and behind the ears.
Head lice are extremely contagious. Close contact or sharing personal belongings, such as hats or hairbrushes, puts people at risk. Children ages 3-11 and their families get head lice most often. Personal hygiene has nothing to do with getting head lice.
Symptoms are
- Tickling feeling in the hair
- Frequent itching
- Sores from scratching
The most important step in treating head lice is to treat the person and other family members with medicine to kill the lice.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Head Lice(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/factsheet.html
-
Head Lice(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/common/lice.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/infecciones/lice_esp.html
-
Head Lice - What They Are and How to Eliminate Them(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/skin/skin/865.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/skin/skin/865.printerview.html
- Head Lice: Diagnosis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/diagnosis.html
- Head Lice: Treatment(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/treatment.html
- Head Lice: Treatment FAQs(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/faqs_treat.html
- Head Lice: Treatment: Malathion(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/treatment_malathion.html
- Head Lice: Prevention and Control(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/prevent.html
- Head Lice: FAQs(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/faqs.html
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Head Lice
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22head+lice%22
- Article: Self-diagnosis of active head lice infestation by individuals from an... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18488093&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Head lice. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18335870&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Survey assessment of parental perceptions regarding head lice. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18289325&tool=MedlinePlus
- Head Lice -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(lice+infestations[mh]+OR+pediculus[mh])+AND+(scalp+dermatoses[mh]+OR+hair[mh]+OR+hair+preparations[mh])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-borne, and Enteric Diseases, Division of Parasitic Diseases(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/
-
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/
- Head Lice (Pediculosis Capitis)(Logical Images) - http://www.visualdxhealth.com/child/pediculosisCapitisHeadLice.htm
- Head Lice: Information for Parents(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/parents.html
-
Lice Aren't So Nice(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/sick/lice.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/sano/lice_esp.html
- Parasitic Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/parasiticdiseases.html
- Children and Teenagers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childrenandteenagers.html
- Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
- Skin, Hair and Nails - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/skinhairandnails.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Head Lice is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www.niaid.nih.gov/
Head Lice - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/headlice.html