How long do nits survive without a host?
The horror of every parent: Your child comes home from kindergarten and complains about excruciating itching on the head! And your worst fears have come true: your child has head lice! But how do you get these tormentors? Nits are the eggs of head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis). Infection occurs via sexually mature lice, but how long do nits survive without a host? Is it possible to get infected without direct contact?
This is how head lice are infected
- Head lice have hook-shaped claws on their legs that they use to cling to their host's hair. A free claw usually grabs a free hair, so that the louse moves in this way and gets from one head to the next. On the other hand, it can only move with difficulty on smooth surfaces.
- Infection occurs through direct head contact. the lice change their host and lay their eggs (nits) in them hair of the new head. New lice hatch from this.
- An indirect transmission of lice to a new host via shared pillow, Combs, brushes or towels is theoretically possible, but very seldom. Infection via hats, earmuffs or cuddly toys also hardly plays a role, since lice do not leave their host voluntarily. Lice cannot adhere to surfaces such as sofas, carpets, tables, school desks and floors.
Nits do not survive very long without a host
- Lice lay their eggs (nits) just above the Scalp in people's hair. The nits stick so tightly that normal shampoo cannot harm them. They form chains of nits that you can easily recognize.
- After 7-10 days, the larvae hatch from the nits and become sexually mature after a further 9-11 days.
- Lice like human hair with an optimal temperature of 28-29 °. You are dependent on a steady blood meal. If these few hours are missing, they die.
- According to recent studies, nits do not survive very long without a host, namely a maximum of 55 hours. Then they die.
Successfully remove head lice and nits - this is how it works
Again a lice alarm in kindergarten or school. Many parents know that ...
This is how you avoid infection
- If head lice have appeared in your child's kindergarten, the affected children have to stay at home until they get rid of the nits.
- The most important measure is to avoid close contact. The problem in kindergarten is the sticking together of the heads.
- Even if the risk of infection is low, since nits do not survive long without a host in the area, you should not share pillows, combs, etc. ä. use. Also be careful with headrests in the car.
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