How come Head lice Has not been eradicated?

Question

You would think that Head lice would go extinct; because, people work so hard to get rid of them when they occur, but they seem to pop up all of a sudden. Were do Head lice out brakes come from?

Answer 1

READ THIS!! I might get my first ten points!!!


Treatment should be considered only when active lice or viable eggs are observed. Itching of the scalp or the perception that something is crawling on the head do not warrant treatment for lice. Without magnification and suitable experience, they may be difficult to correctly distinguish from other material caught in the hair. Amongst presumed "lice" and "nits" submitted by physicians, nurses, teachers and parents, most are simply artifacts such as dandruff, hairspray droplets, scabs, dirt, or other insects (e.g. aphids blown by the wind and caught in the hair). To confirm the identity of suspected material, save a few lice and louse eggs under clear tape on our specimen submission form, and record the requested information. Submit the samples to us or to a qualified physician or entomologist to confirm the identity of the offending creatures.
What are head lice, and how do they differ from other lice? Head lice (Pediculus capitis) are small parasitic insects exquisitely adapted to living mainly on the scalp and neck hairs of their human host. Their six impressive legs are elegantly evolved to grasp hair shafts and provide a striking example of biological specialization. Long associated with people, head lice have been recovered from prehistoric mummies. Head lice are equal opportunity parasites; they do not respect socio-economic class distinctions. Their presence does not connote a lack of hygiene or sanitation practiced by their host. Head lice are mainly acquired by direct head-to-head contact with an infested person's hair, but may infrequently be transferred with shared combs, hats and other hair accessories. They may also remain on bedding or upholstered furniture for a brief period. In North America and Europe, children are more frequently infested than are adults, and Caucasians more frequently than other ethnic groups. Neither able to fly nor jump, lice are also unlikely to wander far from their preferred habitat. Lice and their eggs are unable to burrow into the scalp. Lice are sometimes referred to as cooties, eggs as nits and infested people as lousy. The infestation by head or body lice is termed pediculiasis, and the associated "disease" pediculosis. Delousing (more properly termed lousing) consists of any method for eliminating an infestation. Chemical treatments directed against lice are pediculicides. Those that kill adult and nymphal lice are sometimes called lousicides; those that kill the developing embryo within the egg are ovicides. This discussion relates to head lice unless specific mention is made of other types of lice.
Head lice derive nutrient by blood-feeding once or more often each day, and cannot survive for more than a day or so at room temperature without ready access to a person's blood. A nymphal louse hatches from its egg after about 8 days of development, and begins to feed, grow and develop until it attains the adult stage about 9-12 days after hatching. A female louse may deposit more than 100 eggs at a rate of about six eggs each day. Only those eggs deposited by inseminated female lice will hatch. Generally, an infested person has fewer than a dozen active lice on the scalp at any time, but may have hundreds of viable, dead and hatched eggs. With adequate magnification, the developing nymph can be seen within the egg; hatched eggs are nearly transparent.
Although head lice are transmissible, their potential for epidemic spread is minimal. Indeed, the basic reproduction number (a measure that defines the number of secondary infections arising from an index case) would be far lower for head lice than for infections due to cold or flu viruses - yet children are rarely excluded from school because of these often more-debilitating infections. Furthermore, we are unaware of any convincing data that demonstrates that enforced exclusion policies are effective in reducing the transmission of lice. These quarantine policies seem a disagreeable vestige of certain offensive and supposedly health-based anti-ethnic strategies practiced mainly in Europe earlier this century. It is our professional opinion that the no-nits policies are imprudent, as they are based on intolerance, hysteria and misinformation rather than on objective science.

Lice on children's heads, by themselves, should not be cause for the schools or courts to brand the parents as 'neglectful' or 'abusive'. We are aware of several cases where the courts have ordered children removed from the custody of their parents because of their apparent failure to eliminate the infestations. Such extreme actions to an infestation are generally unwarranted and may suggest poor judgment on the part of those making policy decisions. We are also aware of legal actions brought against the schools by the parents of children who have been excluded from school. These actions should now prompt school administrators to reevaluate their practices of identifying infestations as well as their exclusion policies and treatment recommendations. We encourage parents and school administrators affected by these policies to send us details of their cases
Head lice are acquired from other infested people. Upon learning of their child's infestation, parents frequently seek to ascribe blame. This 'knee-jerk' reaction is understandable but unproductive. The offending lice came from some other person, but it is not currently possible to determine the identity of the donor. Parents are encouraged to focus their energies on education and treatment rather than on unsuccessful witch-hunts. Rather than accusing the school administrators or other parents for not preventing spread of head lice, parents are likely to benefit more by ensuring all children and adults in the home are inspected and treated as appropriate.

Answer 2

The problem with head lice is schools. When there is an outbreak all children need to be treated at the same time, and believe it or not there are parents out there who dont bother to treat their childrens head lice, so the children who have been treated go back to school, and catch them again.
When I was at school (a while ago !!) there was a nit nurse, who regularlly checked all children and they were treated or letters sent out and all parents would treat them. The solution can be got free from the GP to parents on low incomes , so there is no excuse.

Answer 3

The reason they don't become extinct is because there are parents out there that don't treat their childrens hair!
I have to check my daughter's hair everyday and though her hair might be clean when she goes to school i can usually find the lice when she gets home as other parents don't care!!!

And as for treaments-they are becoming immuned to them which is why people are now recommending Conditioner.
Put it in your hair while it's dry and leave it for several hours then wash and comb through as normal! Apparently it suffercates them

Answer 4

apart from the earlier answer of acquired immunity, they proliferate because some people actually live with them and do nothing to eradicate them, the same thing applies to bed bugs, fleas, pubic lice, and body lice.

Answer 5

because they are becoming immune to chemicals used at the moment, also some parents do not know or treat there children, and also there is no vaccination against head lice!

Answer 6

I don't know, but thank god my kids are grown! Man did I have a time with them when they were in grade school! I spent a fortune washing EVERYTHING, the shampoo, the spray for furniture, you name it, and just as soon as we got rid of it, they'd come home from school with it again....ugh...I asked on this site a long time ago, where does it come from if your kids are clean kids.....lice love clean hair, they can stick to it and lay their eggs all over the place.....but where they Actually come from, no one could answer that......from cats, birds, in the dirt or sand, you name it....no one knew....all I know is ugh, disgusting...son had one of those cheap toy microscopes, put a dead bug on the glass and looked at it, oh man looked like a monster movie creature!!!! ew!

Answer 7

There is always one parent in the class who doesn't check their kids hair. So the school will send out letters to every parent, every parent will check the hair except one, and the next day it spreads again... vicious circle.

Answer 8

the kids at school (or just people who dont care about hygene) don't care about their hair so when they go to school the lice spreads.

Answer 9

If you go to school or people exchanging hats. I believe their like fleas and jump around. I have heard of a old remody using coal oil to kill the bugs

Answer 10

Because they are managing to become immune to all the treatments.