MANAGEMENT OF INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE IN HEAD LICE PEDICULUS CAPITIS (ANOPLURA: PEDICULICIDAE)

Abstract:
In 1994 evidence was obtained that insecticide resistance in head lice was spreading in the United Kingdom and other countries. The situation was not being managed correctly by the health authorities in UK for two reasons: primary health care workers adhered to rigid procedures regardless of the changing clinical situation; infection control procedures were not applied to pediculicides as they would have been to microbial antibiotics. Many family physicians, unsure about accurate diagnosis of lice, and other practical aspects, stopped prescribing pediculicides because some products showed poor efficacy. Patients resorted to using unregulated products and home remedies. The approach now being adopted in UK incorporates aspects of integrated pest management employed against other public health pests. Using this methodology, any health care worker can assess the reasons for treatment failure, whether due to inappropriate application, resistance or failure to kill louse eggs; decide the appropriate treatment approach and provide support for families, without becoming intensely involved themselves.