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The National Pediculosis Association,® Inc.
Alert! Discontinue chemical treatment at the earliest sign of failure!
The NPA advises parents to discontinue the use of any treatment at the earliest sign of failure and to avoid using other chemicals. Manual removal is the best option whenever possible, especially when treatment products have failed.
DDT In Alaskan Fish Exposes Children, As Well As Adults, To Higher Cancer Risks
"According to new reports, Alaskan fish is presenting high levels of DDT and other insecticides, exposing both children and adults to higher cancer risks. As for the children living in by the Eastern Alaska Mountain Range, whose diet is mainly composed of fish, the threat is higher as even small amounts of DDT and hexachlorocyclohexane boosts the risks of cancer, as reported by Lab Manager.
The DDT and organochlorine pollutants (OCPs) reach in the fish’s bloodstream via glacial meltwater which absorbed these chemicals over the time. According to Kimberley Miner, research assistant professor at the University of Maine Climate Change Institute, the risks of cancer due to DDT, organochlorine pollutants (OCP), and hexachlorocyclohexane is higher in children who consume contaminated fish than it is in adult populations."
-- Source: Health Thoroughfare.
Nov 26
Lindane, kepone and pentachlorobenzene: chloropesticides banned by Stockholm convention
"Persistent organic pollutants are a serious problem to the environment due to their toxicity to both fauna and flora. Extremely resistant to biodegradation and prone to transfer through long distances via atmosphere can contaminate almost any place in the planet. They tend to bioaccumulate in fat tissue due to their lipophilicity and seriously affect poisoned organism’s nervous, hepatic, reproductive or hormonal system. Since 2009, due to the Stockholm convention on persistent organic pollutants production and utilisation of certain halogenated pesticides has been prohibited. "
-- Source: International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology.
Oct 31
It’s Not Unreasonable to Be Worried about Disease and the Caravan
"We shouldn’t turn a blind eye to this problem.
We live in bizarro times. Suddenly, it is controversial to state obvious, neon-bright truths. This week, it has become newsworthy to observe that illegal border-crossers who circumvent required medical screenings are a threat to America’s public health and safety."
-- Source: National Review.
Oct 25
Ban entire pesticide class to protect children's health, experts say
"Ban entire pesticide class to protect children's health, experts say Evidence is ‘compelling’ that organophosphates increase risk of reduced IQs, memory and attention deficits, and autism for prenatal children."
-- Source: The Guardian.
Going to School with Carefully Combed Hair Takes on New Importance!
"September is National Head Lice Prevention Month: A Time to CombFirst!
This fall, there is one more important reason for children to leave for school every day with their hair carefully combed.
As schools relax their vigilance and allow children with head lice into the classroom, the nonprofit National Pediculosis Association (NPA) is urging parents to proactively use a quality lice and nit removal comb for early detection, so an infestation doesn’t catch them by surprise.
The CombFirst! message is central to a year-long educational campaign sponsored by the NPA, which kicks off each September as National Head Lice Prevention Month. The NPA is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to setting the highest possible public health standards, with a specific focus on protecting children and their families from lice and associated risky chemical treatments. -- Source: National Pediculosis Association.
Aug 23
Keeping Children Safe: September Is National Head Lice Prevention Month!
"National Pediculosis Association Recommends Parents Be Informed Before Outbreaks Occur.
Parents naturally put their children first, constantly seeking information to keep their families nurtured and safe. But when it comes to head lice, they’re often confronted with conflicting guidance and misinformation—leading them to make potentially risky and ineffective treatment decisions. Among the hazards are serious health effects from repeated exposure to various pesticide remedies, treatment failures, lice resistance, and chronic infestations that make parents and children feel desperate and overwhelmed." Read Entire Press Release. -- Source: National Pediculosis Association.
Aug 4
Parents: Urge the FDA to Amplify Safe Combing Alternatives To Pesticide-Based Lice Treatments
"Attention, parents: Protect your children from the potentially harmful pesticide-based shampoos and treatments that are commonly used to try to eliminate head lice.
The National Pediculosis Association (NPA) is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide more details on safe alternative combing products. Parents who want to lend their support to the cause have until 11:59 pm Eastern Time Monday, August 6 to provide comments at https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=FDA-2018-P-0599." -- Source: National Pediculosis Association.
The NPA Urges the US Food and Drug Administration to Recognize Safer
Head Lice Treatment Choices
"The National Pediculosis Association® (NPA) has submitted a petition to the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) requesting that it update its website and other educational materials so that combing with
well-designed nit-removal combs like the LiceMeister® is presented as a safe and effective option for the
treatment of children with head lice. Doing so would give more parents access to the critical information and
guidance necessary to make informed decisions. There are many children for whom a non-chemical treatment
for lice is required." -- Source: National Pediculosis Association.
May 20
Molecular Survey of Head and Body Lice, Pediculus humanus, in France
"Apart from showing for the first time the presence of clade E head lice in France, the study also appears to be the first to report the presence of DNAs of several species of Acinetobacter in human head lice in France." -- Source: Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases.
Drug Safety Update
"Head lice eradication products: risk of serious burns if treated hair
is exposed to open flames or other sources of ignition, eg,
cigarettes." -- Source: MHRA.
Mar 5
Lindane Poisons or Porriño
"As the neighbors get sick, the Galician town looks for tons of this carcinogenic pesticide discarded by a company 60 years ago" -- Source: Turkey Telegraph.
Feb 22
Insights About Head Lice Transmission From Field Data and Mathematical Modeling
"Head lice infest millions of school-age children every year, both in developed and developing countries. However, little is known about the
number of lice transferred among children during school activities, because direct methods to study this are almost impossible to implement.
This issue has been addressed following an indirect method, which consist in collecting data of real infestation from several children groups
and using a mathematical model of lice colonies to infer how the infestation observed might have evolved.
As part of our experimental study it is also shown that a simple procedure of combing can be very effective to remove all mobile lice, and thus could be used
as an effective preventive measure against those severe infestations that are responsible for the spread of pediculosis." -- Source: PubMed.org.
Feb 18
How a Tiny Insect Was Used to Trace the Origins of Human Clothing
"Almost all mammalian and avian species are host to various species of lice. But humans are among the few species that are host to three (or subspecies). The human head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis), the body louse (P. humanus corporis, also considered P. humanus humanus) and the pubic louse (Pthirus pubis) are obligate ectoparasites to the human body and can’t survive on other species, including pets." -- Source: The Wire.
Feb 13
NPA Petitions FDA to Acknowledge the Benefits of Manual, Non-chemical Approaches and the LiceMeister® Comb for the Care of Children with Head Lice
"The National Pediculosis Association (NPA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to protecting children and their environment from the misuse and abuse of prescription and over-the-counter pesticide treatments for lice and scabies, announced today that it has petitioned the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to amend its website and other educational collateral so that combing, in general, and the FDA-accepted 510(k) LiceMeister® comb, in particular, are presented as valid options for the management and treatment of the communicable disease pediculosis capitis (head lice)."
NPA petitions FDA on management of pediculosis with safe combs rather than chemicals
"Currently, the FDA emphasizes chemical treatments for children with head lice and refers to these treatments by brand name. By contrast, lice and nit removal combs are referred to only briefly and generically, without attention to the proven methods and benefits of combing or the fact that all lice combs are not equivalent."
Fire warning issued over head lice treatments
"A WARNING HAS been issued that head lice treatments can be a fire risk.
The notice was released by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) in order to raise awareness about the danger posed by some of the products available in Ireland.
Exposure to a naked flame, any heat source or smoking during use of some head lice treatment products can cause serious injury, the HPRA warn." -- Source: TheJournal.ie.
Feb 5
Should Kids Go to School With Lice?
"The Doctors debate whether or not kids should be allowed in schools with nits or lice in their hair with school nurse Deborah Pontius and Deborah Altschuler, the president of the National Pediculosis Association" -- Source: The Doctors.
"A model of the way opinions spread reveals how propagandists use the scientific process against itself to secretly influence policy makers...
...How easy is it for malicious actors to distort the public perception of science?
Today we get an answer thanks to the work of James Owen Weatherall, Cailin O'Connor at the University of California, Irvine, and Justin Bruner at the Australian National University in Canberra, who have created a computer model of the way scientific consensus forms and how this influences the opinion of policy makers. The team studied how easily these views can be distorted and determined that today it is straightforward to distort the perception of science with techniques that are even more subtle than those used by the tobacco industry." -- Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT Technology Review.
Jan 20
Response of Pediculus humanus capitis (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae) to Volatiles of Whole and Individual Components of the Human Scalp.
"The head louse Pediculus humanus capitis (De Geer) (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae) is a cosmopolitan human ectoparasite causing pediculosis, one of the most common arthropod parasitic conditions of humans. The mechanisms and/or chemicals involved in host environment recognition by head lice are still unknown. In this study, we evaluated the response of head lice to volatiles that emanate from the human scalp. In addition, we identified the volatile components of the odor and evaluated the attractive or repellent activity of their pure main components. The volatiles were collected by means of Solid Phase microextraction and the extract obtained was chemically analyzed by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. Twenty-four volatile were identified in the human scalp odor, with the main compounds being the following: nonanal, sulcatone, geranylacetone, and palmitic acid. Head lice were highly attracted by the blend human scalp volatiles, as well as by the individual major components. A significant finding of our study was to demonstrate that nonanal activity depends on the mass of the compound as it is repellent at high concentrations and an attractant at low concentrations. The results of this study indicate that head lice may use chemical signals in addition to other mechanisms to remain on the host." -- Source: J Med Entomol. 2018 Jan 20..
Jan 1
Paederus Dermatitis Mimics a Host of Many Other Dermatoses Result in Doubtful Diagnosis.
"Clinically, Paederus dermatitis mimics a host of other dermatose, e.g., herpes zoster, phytophotodermatitis, impetigo, herpes simplex, liquid burn, millipede dermatitis, acute allergic or irritant contact dermatitis, acute eczema, pyoderma. Conventional management of contact dermatitis is recommended: removal of irritant, wash with soap and water, and application of moist bandages. Antibiotics are only used if a secondary infection is present. Oral antihistamines and topical corticosteroids are useful in relieving symptoms." -- Source: Universitas Jember.
Jan 1
Nanopore sequencing
Rapid, real-time pathogen
identification and antimicrobialresistance
profiling.
"Whether airborne or present in food and
water supplies, pathogens have the
potential to affect agriculture and human
health profoundly. Livestock infectious
diseases can have an influence on animal
welfare and global food production1
. Crop
pathogens are also a serious problem,
especially in agriculture-based economies.
Rice infection with Magnaporthe oryzae
can have devastating effects on yearly
yields2
. Furthermore, as recent Ebola
and Zika outbreaks have reminded us,
pathogens pose a significant threat to
public health, and a challenge for modern
medicine. Widespread and increasing drug
resistance of infectious organisms
compounds this threat. " -- Source: nanoporetech.com.
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The National
Pediculosis Association,® Inc.
A Non-Profit Organization
Serving The Public Since 1983.
2019 marks 36 years of Service.
The NPA is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit volunteer organization, including scientific advisors, dedicated since 1983 to protecting children and their environment from the misuse and abuse of prescription and over-the-counter pesticide treatments for lice and scabies. The LiceMeister comb® was developed by the NPA in 1997 to provide a higher standard for lice combing tools and a safe, cost-effective treatment alternative to pesticides. Proceeds from sales of the LiceMeister comb allow the NPA to be self-sustaining while accomplishing its mission.
SM
