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Health Topics: STI: Pubic Lice
Pubic lice are tiny insects that are also called crabs.
Common symptoms
- Intense itching in the genital area or anus (this usually begins 5 days after infestation)
- Mild fever
- Feeling run down
- Irritability
- Lice or small egg sacks (nits) in pubic hair
How lice are spread
- contact with infected bedding, clothing, or upholstered furniture
- through intimate or sexual contact
Diagnosis
- Seen with the naked eye or with a magnifying glass, pubic lice look like tiny crabs.
- They are pale gray but darken when swollen with blood.
- They attach themselves and their eggs to pubic hair, underarm hair, eyelashes and eyebrows.
- Their eggs are white and are deposited in small clumps near the hair roots.
Treatment
- Follow the directions on the package insert of an over-the-counter medication
- Some of the brands available are A-200k RID and InnoGel Plus
- Repeated head to toe applications may be necessary
- Everyone who may have been exposed to pubic lice should be treated at the same time All bedding, towels and clothing that may have been exposed should be thoroughly washed or dry cleaned, and the home should be vacuumed
Prevention and protection
- Limit the number of intimate and sexual contacts
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