Background: Wide-ranging restrictions on social and educational activities were imposed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These likely influenced the population dynamics of the head louse. Close physical contact between human hosts is required for transmission of this ectoparasite.
Method: Pre- and post-pandemic internet interest in the head louse in the UK was compared using Google Trends data from March 2017 to March 2022 and modeling using the Meta Prophet package. The influence of school holidays and school attendance was also investigated.
Results: There was a sharp decline in internet searching of the term "head louse" from March 2020 onwards coinciding with COVID-19 restrictions, and a large difference between pre- and post-pandemic search volumes. No influence of school holidays or attendance on internet searching on the head louse was found.
Conclusion: The results suggest pandemic restrictions have had a large effect on head louse incidence.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/pde.15129 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Article Synopsis
- - Bartonella quintana can lead to serious health issues, including endocarditis and chronic infections, and is mainly spread by body lice, particularly in homeless populations.
- - A case study in the U.S. highlighted two kidney transplant recipients who contracted the infection from an organ donor who was homeless; one case was atypical while the other showed mild symptoms.
- - Timely detection and treatment allowed both recipients to recover, emphasizing the importance of assessing organ donors' living conditions, specifically those with a history of homelessness or lice infestations, for potential B. quintana infections in transplant recipients.
Article Synopsis
- Bartonella quintana infection can cause serious health issues like bacillary angiomatosis and culture-negative endocarditis, mainly affecting individuals who are homeless.
- In a study conducted in New York City between January 2020 and November 2023, five cases of left-sided, culture-negative endocarditis were identified in unsheltered homeless persons using molecular methods.
- Most patients had serious complications and a history of body louse exposure, highlighting the need for clinicians to consider housing status and potential lice infestation when diagnosing and treating suspected cases.
Article Synopsis
- Louseborne Bartonella quintana infections mainly affect homeless individuals in the U.S. due to poor hygiene resources, and these infections can impact organ transplant recipients.
- The increase in homelessness raises concerns about the transmission of B. quintana through organ donations from former homeless donors.
- To reduce B. quintana transmission, interventions like better housing access, hygiene resources, early treatment of infections, and testing/prophylactic treatments for transplant recipients are necessary.
Prevalence of pediculosis among primary school children in Tunisia.
East Mediterr Health J
September 2024
Medical and Molecular Parasitology-Mycology Laboratory, Department of Clinical Biology B, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Monastir, Tunisia.
Article Synopsis
- Study aims to investigate head lice prevalence among primary school children in Monastir, Tunisia, due to its global health impact and lack of local research.
- A total of 2396 children from 14 schools were examined, revealing a 17.5% infestation rate, significantly higher in girls (29.1%) compared to boys (6.3%).
- Factors such as crowded living conditions, grade level, and parents' education were linked to higher infestation risk, underlining the need for preventive measures and health programs targeting children and their communities.
Presence of the knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations in the head lice () population in the North of Iran.
J Parasit Dis
December 2024
Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
Head lice infestation continues to be a major health problem worldwide. In order to solve this problem, frequent use of pediculocides has caused growing resistance among head lice population. This study aims to investigate the presence of the knockdown resistance () mutation in the head lice population in northern Iran.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!