Epidemiology and morbidity of scabies and pediculosis capitis in resource-poor communities in Brazil

Abstract

Pediculosis capitis and scabies are hyperendemic in the study areas and are associated with considerable morbidity. There is an urgent need to develop control measures for these parasitic skin diseases in resource-poor communities. This is the first community-based study describing in detail the epidemiology and morbidity of scabies and head lice infestation in Brazil.

Epidemiology of pediculosis capitis among schoolchildren in the eastern area of Bangkok, Thailand

“…Girls were high significantly infested than boys, with infestation rate of 46.92 % and 0 % , respectively as shown in Table 3. Overall boys (1,898) were not infestation rate The lowest of head lice infestation was 12 years age group and highest level was 8 years age group (P<0.001) as shown in Table 4.…”

“…This has been attributed to gender-related behavioral differences, such as boys prefer playing outside only in brief contacts during sports or rough activities, while girls tend to play in small groups with closer contact (head-to-head contact) with each other [44,[46][47][48] . However, head-to-head contact is an important route of transmission as well as the passive transference like share hair accessories, brushes, hats, combs.…”

Faye Abdellah Model to Banishing Social Stigma of Head Lice Among School Students

“…This in agreement with [22] [23] who reported that the peak incidence of lice infection is between 5 to 13 years of age. The prevalence of the present study was near from [24] who found a hyperendemic prevalence of 20-40% in Australian schools noting that infestation affects both sexes and all social classes and in the less proportion with [25] who mentioned in Brazil, studies indicate that the disease affects all age groups in poor communities, and the prevalence can reach 40% of the general population [26]. In the present study, all the sample were girls, this in harmonious with [27] who reported that female children are often the most affected, and the number of cases varies with the time of year.…”

Household-wide ivermectin treatment for head lice in an impoverished community: randomized observer–blinded controlled trial

“…It is particularly common in resource-poor communities in the developing world, where it affects individuals of all age groups, and prevalence in the general population can be as high as 40%. 1 Children aged < 12 years show the highest prevalence and bear the highest burden of disease. [2][3][4] Despite the public health relevance of the condition, strategies to effectively control it are not evidence-based, and recurrent head lice infestations are a common problem.…”

“…5,6 This is of particular concern in resource-poor communities, where this parasitic skin disease prevails and is associated with considerable morbidity. 1,4,7 We assessed household-wide treatment with ivermectin as a means of controlling the transmission of head lice in a resource-poor setting based on the premise that in such settings, as opposed to more affluent ones, 6,8 within-household transmission of head lice plays a crucial role in transmission dynamics. The lessons learned on head lice transmission and the usefulness of this approach for the control of this parasitic skin infestation are presented in this paper.…”