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This Widely Used Pesticide May Increase Your Risk of COVID

Malathion is recommended by CDC for people with head lice.  It is an organophosphate insecticide.  A review in Food and Chemical Toxicology suggests organophosphorus pesticides may increase the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to cause COVID, especially among vulnerable people with underlying medical conditions.A review published in Food and Chemical Toxicology suggests organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) may increase the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to cause COVID-19, especially among vulnerable individuals with underlying medical conditions. Organophosphorus pesticides (OP) have a wide range of biological uses that makes these chemicals ubiquitous, significantly contaminating both terrestrial (land) and aquatic (water) environments.However, OPs are highly toxic, originating from the same compounds as …

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Phthiriasis capitis ab initio. Use of entodermoscopy for quick differentiation between Phthirus pubis and Pediculus capitis nits

Phthiriasis pubis (crab louse infestation) is an ectoparasitosis transmitted mostly by skin to skin contact, primarily located in the genital areas and secondly, if treated late, expanding towards the armpits or other parts of the adult body with thick hair. In children before sexual maturation, the affected sites can include the eyelashes or head hair, usually after contact with an adult who has been sexually infected. Commonly, diagnosis is easy and requires finding eggs (nits) and/or insects, generally firmly hooked to hair shaft base. Because phthiriasis is included in sexually transmitted diseases, it is recommended to expand investigation to other venereal diseases.Recent reports about Phthirus pubis seem to suggest a change of its usual behavior, favoring a primary scalp location …

Phthiriasis capitis ab initio. Use of entodermoscopy for quick differentiation between Phthirus pubis and Pediculus capitis nitsRead More

Pesticide mixtures harm health even when each pesticide is present at “safe” levels

Mixtures of pesticide residues commonly found in foods in the EU can have adverse effects on health even when each individual pesticide is present at a level considered safe by regulators, a new study shows.The study also found that the use of molecular analytical techniques known as "omics" can reveal adverse effects on health that are missed by the standard toxicological measures used to support regulatory authorisations of pesticides.The study found that the standard toxicological measures – analysis of water and feed consumption, body weight, histology (microscopic examination of tissues), and blood biochemistry – showed little or no evidence of harm. But in contrast, the omics analyses showed biochemical changes in the gut and blood and gene function changes in the liver that …

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A girl dies in Georgia as a result of a lice infestation

When her family called the emergency services because the girl was unconscious and unresponsive, they found that she had a severe lice infestation. According to the police, it was the mother who called the health services but the investigators maintain that her extreme negligence caused the girl unbearable pain, which eventually killed her. Investigators refused to give any further details at this time, except to say that it was the worst thing they had seen.Special Agent Ryan Hilton testified that, at the time of her death, Kaitlyn had the “most severe” lice infestation he had ever seen, which may have lasted intermittently for at least three years. He added that he believed that repeated lice bites reduced her blood iron levels, which likely caused the anemia and may have triggered the …

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National Pediculosis Association Urges Centers for Disease Control to Act Promptly on Reviewing and Updating its Information on Treating Children with Head Lice

Because parents and school health professionals rely heavily on CDC’s guidance, it is imperative that CDC's information be kept as current and accurate as possible. NEWTON, Mass. (PRWEB) September 22, 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has been a striking reminder of the need for preparedness regarding public health issues. As children return to school and other group settings in this challenging environment, the National Pediculosis Association (NPA) wants to minimize pediculosis (head lice) as an additional burden by ensuring that parents have access to public health information that is current, accurate and trustworthy. To this end, NPA reviewed the website guidance on head lice published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and identified a number of concerns. …

National Pediculosis Association Urges Centers for Disease Control to Act Promptly on Reviewing and Updating its Information on Treating Children with Head LiceRead More

Back to School in the Era of COVID-19 NPA Says: Parents Still Need to Be Prepared for Head Lice

The National Pediculosis Association’s (NPA) 2020 head lice prevention campaign offers the first comprehensive list of the benefits of combing, a basic hygiene measure. NEWTON, Mass. (PRWEB) August 25, 2020 Back to school 2020 is fraught with challenges for parents and school leaders trying to figure out whether, let alone how, children and staff can return to school safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The heightened attention to this communicable virus has reminded us of the importance of having comprehensive management protocols in place in anticipation of public health issues that affect children – including recurring communicable diseases, such as pediculosis (head lice). Like hand washing, combing is a basic hygiene measure. www.headlice.orgNational Pediculosis …

Back to School in the Era of COVID-19 NPA Says: Parents Still Need to Be Prepared for Head LiceRead More

The National Pediculosis Association Calls for A Critical Review of the Centers for Disease Control’s Website Information on Lice

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 …

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First evidence of the mutations associated with pyrethroid resistance in head lice (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae) from Honduras

Background: The human head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis, is a cosmopolitan blood-sucking ectoparasite affecting mostly schoolchildren in both developed and developing countries. In Honduras, chemical pediculicides are the first line of treatment, with permethrin as their main active ingredient. Despite the extended use of these products, there is currently no research investigating insecticide resistance in Honduran head lice. In head lice, the most common mechanism is knockdown resistance (kdr), which is the result of two point mutations and the associated amino acid substitutions, T917I and L920F, within the voltage-sensitive sodium channel (VSSC)......To our knowledge, this is the first study showing the presence of the C/T mutation responsible of the T917I kdr allele associated …

First evidence of the mutations associated with pyrethroid resistance in head lice (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae) from HondurasRead More

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. Please also see press release. …

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