Health encyclopaedia

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

Head lice

Head lice are tiny grey-brown, wingless insects, which live by sucking blood from the scalp. Their eggs, known as nits, are laid glued to the base of hairs, and look like tiny white specks. The eggs hatch after 7 to 10 days, and 10 to 14 days after hatching the nymph louse is mature and between 2 and 4 mm long (the size of a sesame seed). Once mature they reproduce so numbers can grow alarmingly if not treated.

The head louse (Pediculus capitis) affects only humans, and cannot be passed on to, or caught from animals. Infestation with head lice is also known as pediculosis. Head lice are common in schoolchildren, particularly between the ages of 4 and 11, but anyone with hair can catch them.

• Symptoms
• Causes
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Prevention

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