LICE SO HARD TO KILL

WHY LICE ARE SO HARD TO KILL

You might not have known this but ancient Egypt was an itchy place to live. Lice were rampant. Cleopatra for example was buried with solid gold lice combs, while other Egyptians would shave their entire bodies to try and get rid of the parasites. It's a problem we've had for a while, and we probably won't be solving it anytime soon. Humans and lice have been living together for about seven million years, when our ancestors first split from chimps, and we've been itching to get rid of them ever since.

There are 532 species of lice out there, but let's take a look at the most common type that plagues humans:

Head lice; For starters, they have six legs, and each one has a tiny hook at the end that helps them climb from one head to the other, latch onto your hair, and quickly crawl down to your scalp where they'll feast on your blood several times a day. And once they've made themselves comfortable, lice are tricky to spot.

Adult lice; for example, are about as large as a sesame seed. While baby lice or nymphs are a fraction of that size. Lice are well camouflaged too,matching the color of the hair around them. Not to mention your scalp is the perfect breeding ground.

In one day, a female lice can lay up to eight eggs. Those eggs only take about a week to hatch. Once they're 10 days old, they'll start laying eggs of their own. While it's rare to find more than 20 live lice on any head, there could be dozens or even hundreds of dead bodies lingering on your scalp. Are you feeling itchy yet? Perhaps, even worse is that they're a pain to get rid of. Lice can hold their breath for eight hours. So they'll be fine when you go take a shower or go for a swim. They're also notorious for developing resistance to insecticides.

During World War II for example, militaries dusted millions of Europeans with DDT to control lice-borne typhus. And thanks to our overuse of it, lice grew resistance to the poison. Even today, we're still seeing the repercussions from it. Many over-the-counter shampoos and lotions use similar killing mechanisms to DDT, which in some places has made it easier for lice to grow resistant to these treatments as well. But scientists are striking back.

In the last decade, experts have developed new weapons of attack for when initial over-the-counter treatments don't work like ivermectin lotion, which paralyzes lice by disrupting their nervous systems. And of course, shaving your head like the Egyptians is a cheap and surefire bet. But let's face it, most of us probably can't pull off that look.

Lice can be hard to get rid of. If you still have lice 2 weeks after you started treatment, let your doctor know. Your doctor may want to try a different medication or repeat treatment in case any nits were left behind and hatched after treatment. So after each treatment, checking the hair and combing with a nit comb to remove nits and lice every 2–3 days may decrease the chance of self–reinfestation.

A preventive measure to take note of is to avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp). Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes. Do not share combs, brushes, or towels. You can also help stop them spreading by wet or dry combing regularly to catch them early. Do not use medicated lotions and sprays to prevent head lice.