Communicable Disease

Communicable Disease Paper

Nicole Pereny

March 12, 2012

HCS 457

Sarah Dunn

A communicable disease is a disease that is spread from one person to another. This is usually done by close human contact. There are four ways that a communicable disease can be spread. These are: touching a person who is infected, breathing in the germ from someone who has recently sneezed, an infected persons’ blood, sharing food or utensils with a person who is infected and sexually, exchanging bodily fluids such as saliva through sexual contact. Hygiene and proper hand washing procedures can keep a communicable disease at bay.

Head lice are considered a communicable disease. Head lice normally occur in school age children. Head lice or pediculus humanus capitis, are actually parasites that are found on a child’s head and neck. These parasites survive by feeding on human blood. Most cases of head lice are found on school age children who share the same classroom and are in close proximity most of the day. Outbreaks of head lice occur most frequently in elementary school.

Head lice are not determined by the cleanliness of a person’s hair or environment. Good hygiene plays an important role in keeping head lice from infecting the child. It is believed that head lice prefer clean hair over hair that has not been washed in a few days. This is because the cleaner the hair, the less sebum that is present in the scalp. Head lice prefer sebum free hair; it is easier for the parasite to feed on the scalp. The louse life cycle is fairly simple. A louse attaches itself to the base of the hair close to the scalp. It needs a blood meal several times a day and also needs the warmth and humidity provided by the scalp. At night the female louse lays several eggs that are cemented to the base of a hair shaft. The eggs are a creamy brown color and are at this stage extremely difficult to pick out against the scalp and hair shafts. After about 7-10 days the eggs hatch, leaving behind a white...