Prevalence of head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis L. and their relation to anxiety among primary school children in Kalar district, Kurdistan region-Iraq

Abstract

Head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer infestation is one of the most important health problems throughout the world. The aim of the current study was to estimate the prevalence of head lice among local primary school children in Kalar district-Kurdistan, Iraq and find out the relationship between head lice infestation and anxiety. During the period October 2018 to May 2019, an overall 8847 primary school children aged (6-11 years) were randomly selected from (22) primary schools and examined for the presence of head lice using lice comb and magnifying lenses. Results of the current study revealed the existence of 1277 cases (14.43%) of infestation with P. humanus capitis. The rate of infection in girls was significantly higher than boys P<0.05. Schools of the center of Kalar had higher prevalence rate than those of the sub-districts. The highest rate of infection was observed among children aged 10-11 years while the lowest rate was observed in the younger children 6-7 years. Variations in infection rates were observed in the different investigated schools. There was a great correlation between number of students in class and infection rate P<0.05. In addition, the study showed relationship between head lice and anxiety. Accordingly, 66 % of the infested children had moderate anxiety. Findings of this study suggest that head lice infestation is within the epidemic level in Kalar.