Study of The Prevalence (%) 0f Pediculus humanus capitis (Head Louse) Infestation Among School Children in Karachi

This study was planned to highlight the magnitude of prevalence of head louse infestation in school children in Karachi region of Pakistan. Comparative prevalence in Primary and Secondary, Government and Private, Girls and Boys Schools, were investigated. Prevalence at different age groups and in different class levels was also studied for determining the effect of different factors contributing to head lice transmission and their prevalence.
           From five districts of Karachi, a total of 4025 students were examined, from each district 4 Primary (2 boys + 2 girls) and 4 Secondary (2 boys + 2 girls) Govt. schools and 4 Primary (2 boys + 2 girls) and 4 Secondary (2 boys + 2 girls) Private schools were selected randomly. Head combing was carried out with a frequency of 10 combs through the head of a student, data were recorded along with information on student’s gender, age, class. Arithmetic average, the Standard Error of the Mean (SEM) was calculated. Correlation between age and infestation was calculated by Pearson’s R and Spearman correlation. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether a significant difference in infestation existed due to gender, class level, and school type.
          The prevalence of head louse infestation in Karachi was 25.3%. A higher rate of infestation was found in Primary (28.72%) and Government school (32.90%) than in Secondary (21.90%). and Private (17.60%) school children. No significant difference of infestation was found between both sexes (P>0.05). Prevalence was found inversely related to age and academic class standards of students.
           It was revealed from the present study that head louse infestation is common in Karachi and is found almost in all school children without any respect of Gender. Infestation is not noticeably different in Boys and Girls, but Primary and Government school children were more susceptible to infestation than Secondary and Private school children. It was also encountered that prevalence of infestation decreases in higher class students and age groups.