As public health officials develop guidelines for these challenging times of COVID-19, the NPA wants to minimize head lice as a public health burden when children return to school. NEWTON, Mass. (PRWEB) June 18, 2020 The National Pediculosis Association (NPA) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote the health and wellness of children regarding pediculosis (head lice infestation) through consistent public health messaging, community preparedness, cooperation and trust. The NPA appreciates the complexity of these times as the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic affect every area of our lives. As restrictions begin to lift, we are all considering how to resume previous activities as responsibly and safely as possible. In this context, the NPA wants to help …
NPA asks CDC to improve guidance on head lice
"The National Pediculosis Association (NPA) appreciates the complexity of these times with COVID-19. Our intent here is to minimize pediculosis as an additional public health burden when children return to school and other group settings. We would be pleased to lend our assistance to the CDC in updating its published information on head lice in order to help achieve this goal." Please see the National Pediculosis Association's letter to the Centers for Disease Control concerning the CDC's guidance on head lice. …
A World Gone Viral
Pathogens still have the power to change the course of history. We may say we're fighting a war against the coronavirus, but it might be more accurate to say the coronavirus is waging a war against us. Microbes are changing our lives, our economy, our culture. You should know – though it will provide no consolation – that it has ever been thus.Perhaps you assumed that the ability of pestilence to transform the course of history was… well, history, in the sense that modern science, modern public health systems, and such modern bureaucracies as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization would show those nasty little germs who's boss.The Ebola outbreak of 2014-16, the most severe in recorded history, only confirmed …
Ectoparasites: Pediculosis and Tungiasis
Pediculosis is an infestation of lice on the body, head, or pubic region that occurs worldwide. Lice are ectoparasites of the order Phthiraptera that feed on the blood of infested hosts. Their morphotype dictates their clinical features. Body lice may transmit bacterial pathogens that cause trench fever, relapsing fever, and epidemic typhus, which are potentially life-threatening diseases that remain relevant in contemporary times. Recent data from some settings suggest that head lice may harbor pathogens. The epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and management of body, head, and pubic louse infestation are reviewed. New therapies for head lice and screening considerations for pubic lice are discussed. Tungiasis is an ectoparasitic disease caused by skin penetration by the …
National Pediculosis Association Petition Leads to FDA Website Updates on Treating Head Lice
Lice and Nit Combing Acknowledged as A Valid Treatment Strategy NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Pediculosis Association (NPA) of Newton, Mass. today announced a milestone in its mission to educate parents on chemical-free ways to screen and treat children with head lice. Following review of a citizen petition from the NPA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its website, Treating and Preventing Head Lice, noting that lice removal kits, which are “comb or comb-like” devices, are a treatment option, and stating that combing may be used alone. “We appreciate the FDA’s careful consideration. While combs have been mentioned passively through the years, the FDA is now recognizing combing as a treatment strategy on its own,” said …
Rickettsia Prowazekii (Epidemic Typhus)
Rickettsia prowazekii is an intracellular, gram-negative coccobacillus. It is an obligate parasite. R. prowazekii belongs to the genus Rickettsia and is the causative agent of epidemic typhus. The genus Rickettsia is composed of gram-negative bacteria. Rickettsiae are the closest known relatives of mitochondria in eukaryotic cells.The vector for epidemic typhus is the human body louse. R. prowazekii multiplies in the gut epithelium of the body louse and explodes into the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, eventually killing the body louse in the process. In this regard, R. prowazekii is unique because no other known members of Rickettsia kill their vector. The R. prowazekii remain viable in the dead louse as well as in the louse feces. Viable R. prowazekii have been detected in dried feces of …
Where Are We With Human Lice? A Review of the Current State of Knowledge
Pediculus humanus is an obligate bloodsucking ectoparasite of human that includes two ecotypes, head louse and body louse, which differ slightly in morphology and biology, but have distinct ecologies. Phylogenetically, they are classified on six mitochondrial clades (A, B, C, D, E, and F), head louse encompasses the full genetic diversity of clades, while body louse belongs to clades A and D. Recent studies suggested that not only body louse, but also head louse can transmit disease, which warrants greater attention as a serious public health problem... Head louse infestation is very common worldwide, especially among schoolchildren, whatever their hygiene status, and the transmission occurs mainly by head-to-head contact. Adults with poor personal hygiene are also commonly …
Where Are We With Human Lice? A Review of the Current State of KnowledgeRead More
Head lice can be a pesky problem
"I’m starting to see a few cases of head lice now that kids have been in school awhile. The critters are white and about the size of a sesame seed. They are known as "obligate ectoparasites." Obligate means they require a placental mammal host to survive (i.e. humans) and ectoparasites means they live outside the human body and need a host to survive. They do this by feeding on the host’s blood and can't live off of a body for more than a day or so. Lice are spread by direct contact of a person's head or hair with an infested individual or through sharing personal items such as hats, towels, brushes, helmets, hair ties or even car seat headrests. They do not jump or fly and are not transmitted by pets... Treatment of lice requires a lot of patience. There really is no substitute for …
Kids have allergic reactions to lice treatments
Antihistamines only delay emergency treatment for anaphylaxis Giving antihistamines to children who experience anaphylaxis only endangers their lives by delaying emergency treatment, researchers reported. Instead, children should be administered epinephrine and go straight to the ED. Evan Wiley, MD, a pediatric resident at Jacobi Medical Center in New York, and another colleague reviewed the medical records of children and young adults who were admitted to a community pediatric hospital between July 2015 and January 2019. They found that 72% of patients who first took antihistamines at home delayed seeking medical care compared with only 25% of those who did not take them. Patients who took antihistamines were more than seven times more likely to delay emergency treatment (OR = 7.45; …