Pediculose do couro cabeludo: o acometimento dessa ectoparasitose em crianças no município de Extremoz-RN

Abstract

Pediculosis of the scalp is caused by Pediculus humanus capitis, an ectoparasite belonging to the order Phthiraptera, suborder Anoplura. Cases of pediculosis are growing in the world every day, but their notifications are absent in databases, mainly in the health area, thus becoming a neglected disease. A disease that affects everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status, culture, gender and ethnicity. Its target audience is school-aged children. It is a disease that needs attention, since in some cases it is resistant to pediculicides, treatments that are harmful to health. But there are already methods that are not harmful to the health of the population. Due to the increase in cases of pediculosis, the objective is to collect information on pediculosis in children in the municipality of Extremoz - RN. For this, lice were randomly collected from the head of 21 children in the municipality of Extremoz using a 1:1 saline solution of distilled water and Nacl. The collected samples were sent to the laboratory for identification, visualization of stages, sexing and subsequent assembly between slide and coverslip. A total of 410 lice were collected from 21 children sampled, with an average of ±19.52 per child, and a prevalence of 100% was observed. Thus, saline proved to be an efficient and safe method, with removal of lice at all stages, without toxic data and allergic reaction in children. Despite being in a small sample, it was the first to be carried out in the municipality of Extremoz, indicating the need for more robust studies on pediculosis in this municipality and in other regions of the state of RN and in the northeast region.