Searching for Head Lice Statistics
If you have been searching for head lice statistics, you may be surprised to find that not much research has been done that demonstrates the number of infestation or outbreak cases in the US each year.
The lack of official head lice statistics has created a lot of controversy on the subject, with professionals and parents alike having different views on the scope and scale of the parasites and the problems they cause.
The lack of official data may be due to that fact that this problem rarely causes fatalities or major complications. The problem that these parasitic insects cause isn’t really a physical danger to humans but more of an emotional and social problem. The common louse does not spread diseases or infections unlike other parasitic insects like fleas or mosquitoes.
The lack of official data may also be due to a huge rise in parents using homemade alternatives, as well as an increase of pharmaceutical products on the market, that allow parents to treat parasite problems without consulting a doctor. Because of this, there is very little medical information available that allows the infestation problem to be put into an official and statistical perspective.
This lack of official evidence has created a great amount of debate. Some believe that the parasites in question are affected by seasonal changes, and that infestation and outbreak cases and figures reflect this; however, not enough studies have been performed to either confirm or deny this belief. The number of cases is argued, as well as whether or not the situation with the said parasites is an increasing or decreasing problem.
Although there is a lack of official statistics and studies for the problem in the US, there have been a number of studies performed in the UK. A study performed in the UK between 2002 and 2003 showed the following:
• Approximately 100 patients were submitted to hospital due to a lice related problem
• A large percentage of the admitted patients were female
• Nearly 60% of the patients required emergency treatment, either because of an allergic response to the parasitic activity, or a reaction to the treatments being used against the infestation.
Another UK study, performed in 1999, showed that roughly one quarter of British children aged between 4 and 12 were carrying the parasites. At the time, this was roughly 1.5 million children. It also suggested that many parents were misinformed about the said parasites, with one in ten parents failing to check the child’s hair, whether or not they have warnings from the school, or previous problems with outbreaks or infestations.
These UK studies and statistics are nearly a decade old, however, making it difficult to judge the current scale of the problem; and they certainly don’t give any clues as to the scale of the problem within the US.
Indian online pharmacy
The studies showed that most parents were either turning to their kitchen cupboards or their local pharmacy to stop an infestation or outbreak, rather than consulting with a doctor; and online studies show that more and more parents are turning to the internet to look for information on the subject. Google receives a global search of the keyword ‘head lice’ roughly 450,000 times per month!
Although official statistics and studies could help us see the scale of the problem, what the figures can’t do is teach parents how to effectively remove and prevent outbreaks and infestations. If you have a problem with these parasitic insects, make sure you have all of the right information to tackle the problem head on.
