تفشي القمل في رأس الانسان ودور التثقيف الصحي في الحد من انتشاره بين الأطفال بالمدارس الابتدائية بمصراتة ، ليبيا

The head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) is a worldwide scourge and children are more susceptible to infection than adults. Hence, the application of health awareness programmes and the promotion of preventive practices to control the prevalence of Pediculus humanus capitis requires a considerable effort by both teachers and parents. This study was conducted from November 2019 to February 2020 at some primary schools in Misrata city. The study community included 825 (male& female) students between the ages of 7and 12. A first test was conducted to detect the prevalence of the infection with Pediculus humanus capitis among students and the main influencing risk factors .Another test was conducted following the identification of the prevalence in order to investigate the effectiveness of health education in reducing the infection. The results of this study revealed that the number of children with Pediculus humanus capitis was 197 i.e. (23.9%) out of the 825 examined students. This percentage has decreased to (11.5%) following the intervention of health education programs, with a statistical significance of(P<0.05).The study showed two significant correlations. The first was between theinfection rate with Pediculus humanus capitis and the participants sexas the highest rate of infection was recorded among females at (31.1%). The other significant correlation was between the infection rate and the participant sage with the highest rate reaching (33.9%)among those aged 7. However, there was no apparent correlation between the infection with Pediculus humanus capitis and hygiene practices, classroom over crowdedness and the students’ residence.
It is concluded that the infection with Pediculus humanus capitis has increased among primary-school students in Misrata when compared to other related studies. However, health awareness programmes at schools (such as organising workshops for teacher, disseminating posters and leaflets, and drawing activities) proved to have a beneficial effect in preventing and controlling the infection with Pediculus humanus capitis.