Prevalence of head lice infestation among 3-6 years old nursery children in Kashan (2009)

Background: Head lice infestation is one of the most common parasitic infections with a long history in the world. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of head lice infestation among 3-6 years old children going to nursery schools in Kashan, Iran in 2009. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 1200 children having the age range of 3-6 years old in February 2009. The infestation was confirmed by the presence of nit, nymph and adult species in the childrenʹs hair. The causing agent, Pediculus Capitis, was isolated by combing for 3-5 minutes or using manual lens. Then a questionnaire was completed and the data were categorized and compared using Fisherʹs exact test. Results: The results demonstrated that 8 children, (0.7%, out of 1200) were infected with the parasite. The prevalence rates of infestation among girls and boys were 1.14% and 0.17%, respectively. Infestation prevalence rates were 8.3% and 0.43% among children having unemployed and employed fathers; respectively (P < 0.001). About 2% of children who were living in family with five or more members were infected which was significantly higher than its proportion (0.4%) among children living in families with 3-4 member (P < 0.031). Conclusions: The prevalence rate of head lice infestation was higher among children living in big families and also among children who had unemployed fathers. Appropriate parental education, weekly inspection of the nurseries in order to find the infected children and referring them to health centers, can decrease the incidence rate of head lice infestation.