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Lice, are small parasitic insects that can be found on the head, body, face, and pubic area. Fleas survive by settling on humans, which in turn makes you itchy. However, did you know if the types of lice found in each area of the body are different from one another? What are the health problems that can be caused by head lice? Listen below, let's!
Head lice
Head lice are located in the area of the scalp and neck, attaching their eggs to the base of the hair shaft. Head lice cannot jump or fly, they can only move by crawling. Because of this, head lice are usually spread by direct head contact which allows these pests to crawl from one person's hair to another's hair, for example using a comb.
Compared to other types of lice, head lice cannot transmit any disease. Head lice can only cause mild symptoms, in the form of itching (pruritus) as an allergic reaction to lice bites. Other symptoms of head lice include the sensation of something moving in the hair, not being able to sleep due to itching sensations in the head, and sores on the head due to scratches.
Body lice
Body lice live and lay their eggs on clothing, and move to human skin in search of food. Body lice can spread disease, especially if you don't practice good personal hygiene.
Contrary to popular belief, it turns out that dogs, cats and other pets do not play a role in the transfer of human fleas. You can only catch fleas from other humans, not different species like dogs.
Lice on the body are known to transmit disease (epidemic typhus, trench fever, and louse-borne relapsing fever).
- Typhus is a disease caused by a rickettsial bacterial infection carried by ticks and mites. When fleas and mites that carry the rickettsial bacteria bite someone, the bacteria that cause typhus will then move and infect the body.
- Trench fever or trench fever is a disease caused by body lice. This illness is known as five-day fever, with symptoms such as sudden high fever, severe headache, backache, leg pain, and body rash.
- Louse-borne relapsing fever is a disease caused by ticks caused by Spirochaete borrelia recurrentis, which is a bacteria that is transmitted by ticks to humans.
Pubic lice
Pubic lice are usually found attached to hair in the pubic area. However, this type of lice is sometimes found on coarse hair on other parts of the body. For example, on the eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, mustache, chest hair, armpits, and others. Pubic lice are usually spread through sexual contact. Again, dogs, cats, and other pets cannot transmit this type of flea to humans.
Pubic lice are caused by parasites Pthirus pubis which is spread through physical contact such as vaginal, anal, and oral sex; kissing; and hug. Some of the complications that can be caused by pubic lice infection include eye and skin problems, impetigo, furunculosis (appearance of boils on the skin), eye inflammation (blepharitis), and conjunctivitis (infection of the mucous membranes of the eye).
