Lice Infestation

Subject: Community Health Nursing II

Overview

The little, wingless parasitic insects known as lice eat your blood. Through close personal contact and sharing of possessions, lice are easily spread, particularly by schoolchildren. The various varieties of lice include pubic lice, head lice, and body lice. It can be brought on by coming into contact with lice or their eggs. intense scratching and tickling sensation brought on by hair movement. lice on your body, genital area, clothes, or other body hair. Adult lice could be somewhat larger than a sesame seed in size. On the hair shafts, lice eggs (nits). The signs of lice are tiny, red bumps on the shoulders, neck, and scalp. In order to treat a lice infestation, pediculosis must be applied, and nit cases must be manually removed.

The little, wingless parasitic insects known as lice eat your blood. Through close personal contact and sharing of possessions, lice are easily spread, particularly by schoolchildren.

Several Types of Lice Exist:

  • Head lice: Your scalp is where these lice hatch. At the nape of your neck and over your ears, they are easier to see.
  • Body lice: The lice feed on your skin after living on your clothing and bedding. People who can't regularly bathe or wash their clothes, such as the homeless or those who live in temporary housing, are the ones who are most likely to contract body lice.
  • Pubic lice: These lice, also known as crabs, commonly infest your pubic area's skin and hair and, less frequently, coarse body hair like your chest hair, eyebrows, or eyelashes.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of lice infestation include:

  • Intense tickling
  • Sensation caused by hair movement.
  • Lice on your body, genital area, clothes, or other body hair. Adult lice could be somewhat larger than a sesame seed in size.
  • On the hair shafts, lice eggs (nits). The tiny pussy willow buds that resemble nits. Although they resemble dandruff, nits are more difficult to remove from hair than dandruff.
  • On the shoulders, neck, and scalp, there are tiny, red pimples.

Causes

By coming into contact with lice or their eggs, you can contract lice. Eggs usually hatch after a week. Lice are unable to walk on the ground or fly. They propagated by:

  • Body to body or head to head contact Children or family members may experience this while playing or interacting closely.
  • A close proximity of items in storage.
  • Items that friends or family members share clothing, headphones, brushes, combs, hair accessories, towels, blankets, cushions, and stuffed animals are a few examples.

Treatment

  • The use of pediculosis and hand removal of nit instances constitute the course of treatment.
  • Maintaining personal hygiene is important.
  • Although the comb is perfectly safe, neither the nits nor the eggs are destroyed.
  • Benzyl benzoate:
    • Each adult needs approximately 40ml.
    • Each child needs approximately 12 ml.
    • Dilute with an equal volume of water ie.12 ml for children.

Preventing Measure and Health Education

  • For children, dilute the lotion with an equivalent amount of water. At night, everyone in the family and the roommates should apply lotion to their hair and cover with a cloth. Wash your hair with soap and water the following morning.
  • The application and washing should be done twice.
  • After treatment, wash all of your clothing and bedding, then place it outside in the sun.
  • Push people to practice good personal hygiene.
  • Lice cannot be carried or spread by a pet.
  • Avoid making direct physical touch with an infected person and their possessions.

REFERENCE

Ambika Rai, Kabita Dahal. Community Health Nursing II. Kathmandu: Makalu Publication House, 2012 (reprint).

Dash, PK, Panda Un (1997) (reprint 2004), Medicine for Nurses, 2nd edition, JAYPEE

Dr. Sharma PR, 2009, A Hand Book of Pediatric Problems, 3rd edition, Makalu Publication

HealthLine. 2005. 2017 http://www.healthline.com/health/head-lice

KidsHealth. 1995. 2017 http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/head-lice.html

GN Pravakara, 2004, Textbook of Community Health of Nurses, 1st edition

Rao TB, 2006, Textbook of Community Medicine, 2nd edition

Tuitui, Roshani. Community Health Nursing. Kathmandu: Vidyarthi Prakashan (P.) LTD., 2067.
Things to remember
  • Small, wingless parasitic insects known as lice feed on your blood.
  • They are quickly disseminated by close physical contact and exchange of possessions, especially by schoolchildren.
  • Lice can be found on the head, torso, and pubic hair in various forms.
  • Head-to-head contact or body-to-body contact is how lice spread.
  • Proximity of the items being stored.
  • Severe itching
  • A tickling sensation caused by hair movement.
  • Lice on your body, genital area, clothes, or other body hair. Adult lice could be somewhat larger than a sesame seed in size. On the hair shafts, lice eggs (nits). The tiny pussy willow buds that resemble nits. Although they resemble dandruff, nits are more difficult to remove from hair than dandruff. Lice symptoms include small, red lumps on the shoulders, neck, and scalp.
Questions and Answers

Lice are parasitic, wingless insects that feed on your blood. Lice are easily spread, especially among schoolchildren, through close personal contact and the sharing of belongings.

There are several types of lice:

i.Lice on the scalp:. The lice grow on your scalp. They are most visible at the nape of your neck and above your ears.

ii.Lice on the body: These lice live in your clothing and bedding before moving on to your skin to feed. Body lice most commonly affect people who are unable to bathe or launder clothing on a regular basis, such as the homeless or transient.

iii.Popular lice: These lice, also known as crabs, live on the skin and hair of your pubic area and, less frequently, on coarse body hair such as chest hair, brows, or eyelashes.

 

Causes

You can get lice if you come into contact with lice or their eggs. The eggs hatch in about a week. Lice are unable to fly or walk on the ground. They spread like wildfire:

  • Face-to-face or body-to-body contact. This can happen when children or family members interact closely.
  •  The location of stored belongings.
  • Items that have been shared among friends or family members. Clothing, headphones, brushes, combs, hair decorations, towels, blankets, pillows, and stuffed toys are examples of such items.

The following are signs and symptoms of a lice infestation:

  • Severe itching.
  • A tickling sensation caused by hair movement.
  • Lice on your scalp, body, clothing, pubic hair, or any other body hair. Adult lice can be as small as a sesame seed or slightly larger.
  •  Lice nits (eggs) on hair shafts Nits look like tiny pussy willow buds. Nits are similar to dandruff, but unlike dandruff, they are difficult to remove from hair.
  •  Red bumps on the scalp, neck, and shoulders.

 

The application of pediculosis and manual removal of nit cases comprise the course of treatment.

  • Maintaining personal hygiene is important.
  • Although the comb is perfectly safe, neither the nits nor the eggs are killed.

Benzyl benzoate:

  • Each adult need about 40ml.
  • Each youngster requires roughly 12 ml.
  • 12 ml of water, or an equal amount, should be used for children.

Preventing measure and health education:

  • For children, dilute the lotion with an equivalent amount of water.
  • Every member of the family and roommates should apply lotion to their hair before bed, then cover with a cloth.
  • Wash your hair with soap and water the following morning.
  • The application and washing should be done twice.
  • After treatment, wash all of your clothes and bedding, then place them outside in the sun.
  • push people to practice good personal hygiene.
  • Lice cannot be carried or spread by a pet.
  • Avoid making direct physical touch with an infected person and their possessions.

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