Day Against Lice June 15. A day you may not have heard of, but it affects millions of people around the world. World Head Lice Day is an unofficial but very necessary holiday. Lice are not a sign of dirt or social disadvantage. They are parasites that love clean and dirty hair, rich and poor, adults and children alike. Every year, tens of millions of people suffer from pediculosis, especially children aged 4-12. Shame and misinformation prevent people from starting treatment on time, and doctors are sounding the alarm: lice are becoming more resistant to drugs. On this day, dermatologists, educators, and parents unite to tell the truth about lice and dispel myths. Who are lice and where do they come from Lice are small wingless insects that parasitize on humans. Three types: head (Pediculus humanus capitis), clothing (Pediculus humanus corporis), and pubic (Phthirus pubis). The head louse lives in hair, feeding on blood every 2-4 hours. Outside the human head, it dies within 1-2 days. The female lays eggs (nits), attaching them to the hair shaft. After 7-10 days, the larvae hatch, which become adults in 10 days. The cycle repeats. The source of infection is contact with an infected person (hair to hair). Lice do not jump or fly, they crawl. Therefore, you can become infected by sharing combs, hats, headphones, pillows, as well as in kindergartens, schools, camps. Lice do not carry diseases, but cause itching, sores, secondary infections. The history of the fight against lice: from combs to chemistry Lice have accompanied humans for millennia. Combs for combing nits have been found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs. In Ancient Greece and Rome, lice were treated with oils and combing. In the Middle Ages, people were shaved bald to get rid of parasites (hence the fashion for short haircuts). In the 19th century, the first insecticides (preparations based on mercury and sulfur) appeared. In the 20th century — DDT (now banned). In the 1980s, permethrin and malat ... Read more