Sexually transmitted diseases are a group of diseases that are transmitted from one person to another. Most are transmitted through sexual intercourse. Some diseases may be transmitted through sexual contact or transmitted to a baby while in the womb, such as syphilis, chancre, genital herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital warts, chickenpox, vaginitis, vaginal yeast infection, and Pediculosis.
What is Pediculosis?
Pubic lice (Pediculosis Pubis or Pubic Lice) is a small insect that is a parasite. It is very small, about 1 – 2 millimeters, with 3 pairs of legs, but the tip of the front legs has a special feature like a crab’s leg. Pubic lice can be transmitted through all types of sexual activity.
Pubic lice can survive by feeding on human blood and cause severe itching in that area. Pubic lice usually live in the pubic hair and spread through contact. In some cases, it can be found in eyelashes, armpit hair, chest hair, beard, eyebrows and facial hair, but not on hair. Pubic lice are smaller than head lice. Most of the spread of pubic lice is sexually transmitted.
Pubic lice that cling to the hair will be both male and female. When mating, the male will die. The female will lay eggs on the hair. Normally, 1 female pubic lice can lay about 30 eggs. After laying eggs, 7 days later, the eggs will hatch into larvae and it will take about 3 more weeks to grow into adults to mate and lay eggs.
Lice are one of three types of lice that infest humans.
- Head lice Pediculus humanus capitis
- Body lice Pediculus humanus corporis
- Genital lice or pubic lice
Symptoms of Pediculosis disease
Symptoms of lice disease will start to show about 3-4 weeks. Symptoms in women and men are similar. The most obvious symptoms are itching in the genitals, anus, or itching in other areas such as under the armpits, areas with hair such as legs, chest, stomach or back, mustache, beard, eyebrows or eyelashes.
Often, there will be severe scratching until it bleeds. If there is lice on the genitals, you may see the lice’s feces as black dots on the underwear. You can also see the lice’s eggs on the body hair as brown grains. When looking closely, you will see red dots, which are marks where the lice suck blood for food. If you look closely, you will see lice walking on the bed. They usually stop when the light is turned on and start walking again when the light is turned off.
In some cases, the area where the lice bite and suck blood will become infected with bacteria, causing pustules at the hair roots. If lice live around the eyelashes, you may also be at risk of conjunctivitis. The itching will be worse at night. In addition, other symptoms may occur, such as:
- Low-grade fever
- Irritability
- Lack of energy
- Small bruises from the bite on the skin on the thighs or lower abdomen
- There is black powder stuck to my underwear.
There are 3 stages of lice found in the human body:
- Eggs (Nit) are so small that they are invisible to the naked eye, but can be seen with a magnifying glass. Lone eggs are white or yellow and are usually attached to the hairs. It takes about 6-10 days to hatch before emerging as larvae.
- Nymph After the eggs hatch, the nymph larvae live in the genitals and feed on human blood. The larvae are similar to the adult nymphs, but smaller and take about 2-3 weeks to mature.
- Adult The distinctive features are light brown or light gray in color and six legs, with the two front legs being large and resembling crab claws. Females are larger than males. If the nymph falls from the human body, it will die within 1-2 days.
Incubation period of the disease
After getting infected, it takes about 30 days for symptoms to appear.
Causes of Pediculosis Disease
It is caused by a small insect called Pubic Lice, which is an insect that cannot fly or jump and needs human blood to survive. Pubic lice can be transmitted through close contact, such as hugging, kissing, but the most common way is through sexual contact. Importantly, pubic lice cannot be prevented by wearing condoms or using birth control pills. Pubic lice are usually found only in adults or those who are able to have sex. However, if found in children, it may be a sign of sexual abuse.
It can be transmitted in 2 ways:
- Through sexual contact. Because pubic lice usually live on the genitals, so when having sex, pubic lice can easily be transmitted to another person.
- Through sharing personal items. If someone in the house has pubic lice and is not careful, and uses towels, wears clothes together, sleeps in the same bed, or even sits on the toilet with pubic lice germs, it can cause pubic lice infection. Because pubic lice can live outside the body for up to 24 hours. Even though pubic lice cannot jump, they will slowly crawl along the hair and surfaces.
Treatment of Pediculosis disease
Generally, lice can be treated with shampoos, lotions or creams that contain chemicals that are effective in killing lice or head lice. Doctors or dermatologists will recommend the most suitable product for users. Users must follow the doctor’s advice and the drug label. The drug used is Permethrin, which is used as follows:
- Apply the drug to the affected area or areas with a lot of hair, such as the genitals, eyebrows, mustache, and beard. Some drugs may need to be applied all over the body to prevent lice.
- If the drug is applied too close to the eyes and the drug gets into the eyes, wash it off with clean water as soon as possible.
- Some drugs may need to be applied and washed off later. If the time is up, wash it off thoroughly.
The first treatment is usually to eliminate the lice in the body. Therefore, the eggs that have not hatched are not destroyed. After the first use of the drug for 3-7 days, it should be reapplied to eliminate the lice that have just emerged from the eggs. However, if the drug is used a second time and the symptoms do not improve or the treatment is ineffective, you should consult a doctor. The drug should not be reapplied because it may cause dangerous side effects, such as skin irritation, itching, redness, or burning pain.
Prevention of Pediculosis
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Avoid having sex with someone who is infected with lice. Having sex while one of the parties is infected with lice can easily spread it. Therefore, it should be avoided until the lice are fully cured.
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Avoid sharing clothes, towels, or bedding with someone who is infected with lice. Although there is a low chance of lice being transmitted through clothing, it should be avoided because lice can live in fabrics for a short period of time. If such items are shared, lice can spread to others.
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Take a shower. You should shower and clean your body regularly to reduce the risk of lice.
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Avoid trying on clothes in department stores. When buying clothes, it is best to avoid trying on clothes, especially swimsuits. If you have to try them on, wear underwear to prevent lice or other dangerous germs.
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If you know that the person has lice, do not share a bed or bathroom until you are sure that they have recovered from lice.
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If you yourself are infected with lice, you should boil clothes, bed sheets, or items that can be boiled in boiling water to kill all lice. If you cannot boil them, put them in a bag, tie it tightly, and leave it for at least a week to let the lice die. Always wear clean clothes.Although lice can be cured, wouldn’t it be better if we prevented it first? By practicing safe sex by using condoms every time, keeping the genital area clean, and avoiding having sex with people who have leprosy, this will keep you away from leprosy.