The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Time for the battle against lice health & lifestyle

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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Time for the battle against lice health & lifestyle

Ramya Kannan

Tamil Nadu heads the list in lice infestation incidence

Lice infestations are common among children, who are in close proximity with others at school
It requires at least four weeks of periodic treatment to break the life-cycle of lice

CHENNAI: It’s a lousy problem, but one that cannot be ignored. When it is time for children to go back to school, mothers worry about resuming the battle with armies of small, wingless, greyish-white, black insects that feed on human blood — lice.

Lice infestations are common among children, who are in close proximity with others at school. But these can be passed on to other members of the family. Lice are known to jump from head to head.

Head lice infestation is called pediculosis. Apart from the itch factor, which can itself be annoying, it can cause anaemia, bacterial diseases, scalp infections, and fevers that may require hospitalisation. Infestation means scratching, and that can be extremely distracting for a child in school. “The child can lose concentration and even become irritable, simply because of the itch,” says Sarada Suresh, Director, Institute of Child Health, Chennai.

Tushar Guha, child psychologist and managing director, Nrityanjali Education Services, Mumbai, says: “Lice infestation can have disturbing psychological effects on children. They feel rejected among peers and often find it difficult to cope with their studies. Care must be taken not to make them feel responsible for the infestation.” Lice infestation is also a social embarrassment for the child and parents.

Dr. Suresh says paediatricians see a lot of infestations among children, more among girls than boys. “Girls usually have long hair which is oiled frequently, and fewer instances of hair-washing. This makes it easy for lice to breed.”

This is borne out by the results of a study conducted by the Indian Market Research Bureau in December 2008, funded by Marico, which makes anti-lice treatment products. A total of 23 per cent of all urban households suffered from lice in 2008 and 93 per cent of them were female. Over 40 per cent of the sufferers were in the 6-15 age group.

The study pointed out that the incidence of infestation was highest in South India (24 per cent). Tamil Nadu headed the list at 38 per cent. Kerala followed with 31 per cent of households reporting infestation.

D. Amudha, mother of a teenager, says her daughter has been a sufferer for years. “During the summer and half-yearly holidays we manage to get rid of them. But once she gets back to school, it’s the same story all over again.”

The trick, according to Sudhakar Mhaskar, head, technology, Marico, is to treat lice “urgently and effectively” with anti-lice products. “Many mothers use lice combs; however, this is a painful process and not a permanent solution. Combing hard with them may cause inflammation and irritation of the scalp, with the kid suffering from pain.”

Anti-lice products in the market include wash-off shampoos and oils which must be used regularly and as per instructions.

Mr. Mhaskar says lice infestations can be easily treated without causing pain, damage or breakage of hair, through periodic application of anti-lice solutions. It requires at least four weeks of periodic treatment to break the life-cycle of the lice, which is the only way to eradicate the parasite.

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