Are Human Lice a Public Health Risk?
Human lice are blood-sucking nuisances and a cause of social embarrassment. In the U.S., the head louse is by far of greatest importance because of its common and widespread occurrence, especially among children. None of the human lice are known to be vectors of disease agents in Indiana. In other regions of the world, the body louse is the vector of three human diseases. Historically, epidemic typhus fever and epidemic relapsing fever have caused devastating outbreaks, primarily associated with disasters such as war, but also with natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes. The third disease transmitted by body lice is a non-fatal infection known as “trench fever.” All three diseases are associated with situations in which humans are crowded together under conditions where sanitation is severely limited or non-existent.
