Efficacy of 1% permethrin for the treatment of head louse infestations among Kosovar refugees.
We assessed the prevalence of head louse infestation and the effectiveness of 1% permethrin against head lice in Kosovar refugees. A currently infested case was defined as a person with observable crawling lice (adults or nymphs) or a person with nits on the hair shaft within a quarter-inch of the scalp. Of the 1,051 refugees screened upon arrival in the United States, 107 (10%) were infested. Crawling lice (adults or nymphs) were observed on 62 (6%) of the individuals examined. Refugees with crawling lice were treated with a pediculicide containing 1% permethrin. Of these, 57 were reexamined the next day. Twenty of the 57 individuals were reexamined 7 days after treatment. No crawling lice were found on any of the refugees examined after treatment. We conclude that 1% permethrin treatment was effective in louse control in this refugee population.
Manjrekar
R R
RR
National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.
Partridge
S K
SK
Korman
A K
AK
Barwick
R S
RS
Juranek
D D
DD
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007306:Insecticides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010373:Lice Infestations / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009515:New Jersey / Q000453:epidemiology; D010374:Pediculus; D026023:Permethrin; D015995:Prevalence; D011722:Pyrethrins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012036:Refugees / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012536:Scalp Dermatoses / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015022:Yugoslavia / Q000208:ethnology
D007306:Insecticides; D011722:Pyrethrins; D026023:Permethrin