The prevalence of Pediculus capitis among School Children in Larestan county, Southern Iran( 2017-2018)

Background: Head lice infestation (pediculosis) is one of the main public health problems worldwide and a sanitary, cultural and economic indicator for communities’ health.It is also associated with parents’ literacy, job of work and their attitude towards health standards. more commonly found among female primary schoolchildren aged 4-12 years.Objectives: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of head lice infestation among school children in urban and rural areas of Larestan county in Fars Province, southern Iran.Materials and Methods: All school children of age 6-18 yr from both genders in all urban and rural areas of the county were screened for head louse infestation by examination of their hair and scalps. This study was repeated in different seasons in that area. Moreover, infested children were treated with permethrin shampoo(5%) and Dimethicone lotion and re-examined one week later for any relapse.Data were entered and analyzed by SPSS version 26 software (Chicago, Illinois, USA) using the chi-squaredtest.Results: Prevalence of head lice infestation among all school children was estimated at 6.49%.The general prevalence in all school students was 3.91% in autumn, 1.42% in winter and 1.15% in spring.The prevalence in perimary schools(6-12yr) was 11.92% and in Secondary schools(13-18yr) was 4.17%.Conclusion: Our study showed in autumn, head lice infestation was higher than other seasons due to new exposure after the school season closed.The prevalence was also higher among primary school tudents and girls because of the larger volume of hair

کلیدواژه ها:

Pediculus capitis ، Head louse infestation ، School children ، prevalence ، Iran