The Parasite 'Meoritni' Living on Human Scalp Has Not Disappeared

Seoul National University College of Medicine Parasitology Department Survey
Targeting 51,508 Elementary School Students Nationwide

Amid growing fears about the appearance of bedbugs, a survey has revealed that head lice are still among the parasites present around us.

Head lice are pests that parasitize the heads of humans or mammals, feeding on their blood. Head lice are host-specific. Those that infest humans live only on the human scalp. They are six-legged, wingless ectoparasites, with adult body lengths around 2 to 4 mm. They live on human hair, feed on blood, and can transmit febrile diseases such as epidemic typhus, trench fever, and relapsing fever.

Head lice are wingless blood-sucking parasites, and the species that live on humans parasitize only humans.
[Photo by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]

In the 1990s, head lice were common, and some households kept fine-toothed combs at home to remove lice brought from schools. Recently, head lice infections have reoccurred mainly among preschool children and elementary school students, causing nationwide concern among mothers.

The international journal published by the Korean Society for Tropical Parasitology (Parasites, Hosts and Diseases) reported that the average prevalence of head lice over nine years from 2011 was 2.1% (1,107 individuals). This was based on a joint study by Professor Jong-Il Chae, Emeritus Professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine’s Department of Parasitology, and the Korea Association of Health Promotion (KAHP), who surveyed 51,508 elementary school students nationwide. The survey randomly selected 3 to 5 schools and used fine-toothed combs similar to lice combs to directly detect adult lice and eggs (nits).

The prevalence of head lice showed a decreasing trend from 2.8% in 2011?2012 to 0.8% in 2019. By gender, the infection rate was higher in girls (3.0%) than boys (1.4%). By region, the highest rates were in Gangwon-do (3.1%), Gyeonggi-do (3.0%), and Jeolla-do (2.8%), while Gyeongsang-do had the lowest rate (0.7%).

Head lice infections are also a headache in the United States. There are even hair salons specializing in removing head lice. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 6 to 12 million children aged 3 to 11 receive treatment for head lice annually in the U.S. Especially when the new school year begins, a nationwide head lice emergency response is activated.

Children Leaving Their Homes in Gaza Strip as Israel Resumes Airstrikes
Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, which is facing the worst situation due to Israeli airstrikes, head lice infections have recently been spreading. Untreated wastewater and sewage have been exposed to the air for extended periods, raising concerns about outbreaks of infectious diseases such as skin infections and respiratory illnesses.