Friday, January 1, 2010

Contracting Pubic Lice

By Harry Cross

Public lice is more commonly referred to with the word "crabs" since this is what the parasite looks like when viewed under a microscope. The six-week legged creatures commonly infect a person's pubic area. However, they can be found in other body hair.

There are many ways in which the public lice can transmitted from one individual to another. The most common method of transmission is through sexual contact when they jump from the pubic hair of one person to that of the sexual partner although other methods of contraction are through linen like clothing, bedding, washcloths and towels.

Many people can be infested with public lice, or crabs, presenting no symptoms whatsoever. Yet, most infected individuals will experience a good deal of itchiness. The situation will worsen once the lice become very active and start to bury their heads under the skin in the pubic area feeding on human blood.

When the lice bite on the skin of the individual, he feels compelled to scratch the area persistently thus, making it raw in the process and hence more prone to traditional and secondary bacterial infections. Constant scratching also causes transmission of lice to other individuals as these creatures jump on to clothing, bedding and other material which are in close proximity.

Sometimes an infected person will not see symptoms for quite some time until eggs hatch in the mature lice become adults. This can typically take place after four weeks from the initial infestation.

Young children living at home were person has been infected by public lice are susceptible to what is known as blepharitis, a condition of your attention and infection of the eyelids. Therefore, it is extremely important that a child's eyelashes be examined for the presence of lice. To accomplish this, one must employ a high-powered magnifying glass to look for lice presence.

Pubic lice have the capability of being able to survive for at least two days even when they do not have a parent body to feed on. However, some important facts which should be known to everyone are that contrary to the common misconception these lice cannot jump like fleas, cannot be contracted from animals and cannot be transmitted from toilet seat or furniture.

Although the majority of incidents where a person contracts public lice, or crabs, is through sexual contact with an infected person, there are other ways that these nasty little parasites can infect an individual. Any contact with bedding or clothing used by an infected person can lead to a transfer to the individual touching this material.

Although it is a great and wise practice to employ some form of protection during sexual contact, especially for people who are active with more than one partner, use of condoms and other protections will not reduce the risk of becoming infected with public lice because these items do not cover an individual's pubic area.

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