Despite the abundance of hygiene products in store shelves, pediculosis remains an acute problem. Basically, lice are observed in children attending preschool institutions, camps, schools. Many parents who are faced with a problem are wondering if lice are jumping? In the article we will talk about pediculosis and tell you how you can get infected. In addition, we will consider the types of parasites, discuss methods of treatment and prevention.
It is important to know that lice are inactive and quite vulnerable creatures. They are unable to travel long distances and cannot fly. And they are not able to reproduce quickly. It is very interesting that the female parasite during the entire life cycle is able to reproduce only a few dozen nits (eggs).
We offer to talk about whether head lice jump, to consider the causes and varieties of head lice.
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 the parasitism of one of the type of lice (head, ward or pubic). In the latter case, the disease has a slightly different name - phthiriasis.
Now briefly about what lice are. The average insect length is only 5-6 mm. In this case, you can see a very small head and a rather voluminous abdomen. As you know, lice feed on human blood. This becomes possible due to the structure of the oral apparatus, which is represented by a tube, hooks and stilettos. Are lice able to jump from person to person, and how do they stay? Firmly fixed on the hair or things, the insect is helped by the legs, which have bent claws, resembling claws in appearance.
Briefly about reproduction. Female lice are able to lay eggs (nits) from which almost sexually mature individuals hatch (slightly smaller than adults). After a few months, they also become able to reproduce offspring.
Types of disease
We will talk about whether lice jump, in a separate section of the article. And now we propose to consider the varieties of the disease. In total, three types of parasites are distinguished:
Head lice are more often found in carriers of long hair. Possibilities of infection mass. The most common:
- Close contact with someone who has lice.
- Using one headgear.
- Common with a person with pediculosis, hairpins, bows, comb.
Lice are noticed for itching, which is caused by bites. Some people have a rash, papules, or blisters.
Body lice live on human clothing and move to the body only for nutrition. High probability of infection in those people who do not have the opportunity to wash and change clothes (socially disadvantaged population, homeless people).
Pubic lice live on the scalp:
- Pubis.
- Axillaries
- Eyelashes.
Symptoms of infection:
- Itching
- Rashes (papules).
- bluish spots 2-3 mm in diameter (pubic lice can destroy hemoglobin in the vessels).
Diagnostics
Despite the high level of development of modern medicine, the only way to diagnose the disease is through examination. It is regularly held in all educational institutions (school and preschool). The diagnosis is confirmed only upon the detection of living individuals, and not nits. Infected children are suspended from visiting an educational institution and sent for examination to a dermatologist.
The specialist examines with a Wood lamp (for head lice) or a slit lamp (for clothes parasites). Sometimes microscopic examination of hair, nits or living individuals is carried out. Video dermatoscopy, which allows you to capture enlarged lice on a photo or video, is a modern diagnostic method.
Distribution methods
So that we can answer the question of whether lice jump, we need to get acquainted with all methods of infection with these parasites.
These insects spread in places where large concentrations of people live. However, they do not have good conditions for personal hygiene. Where head and body lice are most often found:
- Communal apartments.
- Barracks.
- Refugee camps.
- Barracks and so on.
Consider the methods of spreading insects.
- Parasites can crawl from one person to another. This is possible with close contact (shared bed) or during the play of children.
- Transmission through hygiene and household items. This includes a comb, towel, elastic bands, hairpins, hoops and so on.
- Use of common clothing. In this case, the head variety can be transmitted through a hat, hat, scarf, jacket or other clothing with a hood. A clothes louse can live on absolutely any item of clothing.
- The most rare case is infection through bedding or a pillow.
- No less often infection occurs in public bathing places. Not many people know that lice can survive in water for up to 2 days.
Are parasites able to jump
Many people think that these tiny insects can move from one person to another like fleas. Therefore, the question of whether lice jump from head to head will be negative.
To begin with, lice have a fairly massive body that is not adapted for active movement. Nature has not endowed their paws with absolutely no mechanism allowing them to jump. These insects can only hold tightly on a thin hair of a person and stick on it.
So, can lice jump? No! Thanks to this, we can easily communicate with other people at a distance, without fear of becoming infected. Pay attention to the fact that these insects are able to move quickly enough, so you should avoid touching your hair with an infected person. For a louse to run over your head, a short hug is enough. That is, infection can occur very quickly.
Myths
In this section, we propose to dispel all the myths that so many soars around these insects:
- Lice can jump. As it has already become clear, these creatures cannot move in this way. About whether lice jump, we have already described in more detail above.
- Lice live in dirty apartments. This is true, but only partially. Of course, lice do not crawl there on the floor. But, as a rule, in dirty houses, residents do not follow the basic rules of personal hygiene.
- Lice can only be in children. This is an unfounded statement. The chances of infection by contact with a sick person are the same in adults and children.
- It is possible to get infected only through sexual contact. In this way, the pubic variety of parasites is transmitted. About how infection occurs, we described above.
- The transmission of these insects from pets is possible. We suggest discussing this issue separately and in more detail.
Animal contamination
Now we will answer the question of whether lice jump like fleas. Is it possible to get them from pets? Remember: lice can not jump, because their body and the structure of the legs are completely not adapted to this. But fleas are typical blood-sucking parasitic insects that live in apartments and can jump.
The so-called cat lice are cat lice, and canine lice are dog lice. In everyday life, these insects are called lice only because they have a similar appearance to the parasite we are considering. It is worth remembering that each species of lice beetle is specific, it cannot live on other animals (including humans). For example, if a cat lice-eater fell on a person, then he will soon die. The same fate awaits them when they hit a dog or any other living creature.
Treatment
We have examined in sufficient detail what lice are. How to get rid of this parasite? Directions for the fight against pediculosis:
- Combing (mechanical method of removal).
- Specific drugs to combat the parasite.
- Prevention in people with close contact with the patient.
- Pest control.
Please note that the use of special drugs for pediculosis is contraindicated in some groups of people:
- Pregnant and lactating women.
- Small children.
- People with skin diseases.
As for combing, before that you should definitely wash your hair with air conditioning. So nits are much easier to separate because the hair becomes smooth.
Preparations
We answered the question of whether lice can jump, examined treatment methods, now we will talk in more detail about drugs for pediculosis. Such active components act in them:
- permethrin (Nittifor solution, Nyx cream, Medifox gel, Para-plus aerosol, Veda, Veda-2 and NOC shampoos, Hygia solution).
- pyrethrin (aerosol "Spray-paks").
- phenotrin (Anti-Bit liquid soap, Itax liquid, Parasidosis liquid, Bean lotion, Phenol lotion, Sumitrin shampoo).
- malathion (emulsion and Pedilin gel, Para-plus aerosol).
Prevention
There are very simple measures that help you avoid getting lice:
- Compliance with personal hygiene.
- Regular washing of the head and body.
- Regular replacement of bed and underwear.
- Avoidance of close contact with sick and socially disadvantaged people.
- Regular examination of the head in children.
- Avoiding the use of common items (combs, hats, rubber bands, towels, and so on).
If you suddenly have lice, do not panic. Go to the pharmacy and buy a remedy for pediculosis. Remember to read the instructions before use. Of course, do not forget about preventive measures.