The prevalence of infestation with the head louse,Pediculus capitis, was assessed among the child population, from birth to 10 years old inclusive, of the rapidly expanding Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. Over a period of two months, 300 consecutive children attending the general practitioner for any reason were examined specifically to identify those infested with head lice: 37 cases of active infestation were found, which is an overall prevalence of 12. An interesting distribution, however, was noted in respect of age, ranging from less than 2in the first year of life, rising rapidly to around 30in ages six to eight years, thereafter declining steadily to about 16by age 10 years. The distribution of infestation among males and females was broadly similar. These results show a high head lice infestation, particularly in the early school years, where presumably interpersonal contacts are most frequent, facilitating con tagious spread. As the head lice is known to spread several viral and rikettsial diseases, such as relapsing fever and typhus, greater efforts should be made towards patient education in hygiene, and towards identifying and treating the disease when found.
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