The Prevalence of Pediculosis in Southern Iran From 2016 to 2021

One important measure of community and personal hygiene is the prevalence of lice. Healthcare providers and strategists must analyze this illness across several groups if they are to create sensible plans and services for its decrease. The objective of this study was to find the prevalence of head lice in Iranian endemic regions.

In this retrospective cross-sectional study, all patients referred to healthcare centers affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences from 2016 to 2021 who were diagnosed with head lice were included. Those confirmed with head lice were isolated and examined by a physician of the healthcare center. Patient information, including city, diagnosis date, type of disease, age, sex, nationality, and urban or rural status, was recorded. Data analysis was performed using descriptive methods in SPSS Version 24 and STATA 14.2.

The results showed a total of 153,550 cases of lice infection (average annual prevalence 0.52% [95% CI: 0.52% to 0.53%]), with a declining trend from 20,951 infections to 5912 during the study period. The highest infection rate (49.3%) was observed in the 6-12 age range; most infected patients, 93.2%, were female. Furthermore, Qirokarzin, Zarrin Dasht, Mohr, and Rostam displayed the highest infestation levels, accounting for 55.4% of infections among the urban population.

Overall, the present study revealed a low prevalence of head lice in Fars Province, southern Iran; most of the individuals with head lice were elementary school-aged girls. Therefore, it is important to focus on interventions and policy-making with the aim of preventing infestation and the spread of disease among this population. Moreover, the general drop in yearly infestation shows how well Shiraz University of Medical Sciences' policies regulate the disease.