Distribution of head lice Pediculus humanus capitis infection in high school girls of eastern south of Tehran province

Head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis (De Geer 1767) is the most common parasitic lice in the world. Regarding to the importance of sanitation in public health and its distribution throughout the country, the present study was conducted to assess the distribution of head lice in high school girls of south eastern part of Tehran province in five cities, Varamin, Gharchak, Pakdasht, Pishva and Javadabd. Samples were taken randomly through winter to spring 2015. The infection rate of head lice and mean number of the head lice population, for each developmental stage were calculated and statistically analyzed. The results showed significant difference of infection rate among the studies cities; as Varamin (5.84%) and Gharchak (4.79%) had the lowest infection rate and Pakdasht (13.16%) showed the highest infection. Moreover, based on the samples population, head lice population showed the highest level in Varamin (lice30.8±6.56) with significant difference which would be due to higher population of the area.