Head Lice Research Paper

Every school year as a child there was the infamous lice check. Nurses wearing latex gloves would pick through the scalps of searching for the small irritating bugs that could infest your hair. Lice is a very common issue in public areas due to the fact they are easily transmitted. In many cases the lice go unnoticed until the eggs have hatched and spread all throughout the individual's head. The microorganism pediculosis or more commonly known as,head lice, come in a few sizes and shapes. Pediculosis starts as an egg/nit which is around .3mm-.8mm. They are oval shaped and appear yellow or white. They are very small and can be compared to the size of a knot in a thread. Next is the nymph, which comes from the egg, these stay close to the hairline and are yellow-rust colored. The final stage is the adult louse which is around the size of a sesame seed with six legs and are tan to grayish-white in color. Lice are aerobic which means they need oxygen to survive; they also transmit by crawling through one infected scalp to the next. The most common mode of transmission is direct contact with an infected scalp, which is the reason why lice are commonly spread to those who attend public schools or daycares. Another form of transmission, however less common, is by …show more content…
The most common would be lice shampoo kits and home remedies such as cola and mayonnaise to suffocate the lice. Other treatments include anti parasite medication and OTC treatments. After the treatment has been completed, to avoid reinfestation, the next step is to wash any infected clothes, pillow cases, stuffed animals, etc and vacuum surfaces where lice can live. The expected outcome of the therapy is that the lice will die several days of the treatment. In the case of over the counter treatments, several treatments must be done in order to completely eliminate the head lice. After the treatment is over there should be no existing louse or nits on the