Investigations have led to the withdrawal of a study backing ivermectin to treat COVID-19. But that’s not the last time we’ll hear about this controversial drug.
The head lice drug ivermectin is being touted as a coronavirus killer. But studies suggest it would need to be taken in mega-doses far higher than those currently used, with unknown side-effects.
The head lice drug Ivermectin has stopped SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from replicating in lab tests. But we don’t know if it will work as a treatment for people with coronavirus.
Here’s a close-up picture of a head louse. The eggs of the female head louse are what we call ‘nits’.
We like to think that all creatures play a role in the local ecosystem. We’re especially interested in insects that provide a benefit for people too. But that’s not always how it is.
Head-to-head contact is the easiest way for lice to move from person to person.
Dr Cameron Webb (NSW Health Pathology)
New research confirms what many parents already know: head lice are getting harder to kill. How else can we control these itchy pests plaguing our playgrounds?
The head louse is usually relatively harmless and more of a nuisance than a disease.
from shutterstock.com
We humans think we sit on top of the food chain, but the pediculosis capitis mite – the head louse – sits above us, on the top of our heads.
Getting infested children to sit still long enough to complete a treatment is probably more difficult than removing the head lice themselves.
Vera Davai/AAP
Across the country, tiny blood-sucking parasites are settling in for the new school year. Head lice infestation, officially known as pediculosis, is common in primary school-aged children. But don’t worry…