Crab lice

Having crab lice does not lead to serious consequences for health, but the itching is nonetheless very unpleasant.

If symptoms show up, they are as follows:

• intense itching in the pubic region;
• the presence of pale brown insects the size of a pinhead as well as whitish eggs attached to body hair;
• the appearance of small blue spots, which are in fact traces of bites.

Screening

• A diagnosis can be made only when lice or eggs are present.

Treatment

• To get rid of crab lice, you have to apply a cream to the affected region.
• You then have to wash the bedding, towels and your clothes in hot water, or dry clean them, to avoid being reinfected or infecting others.

There is no method that ensures protection against crab lice because they are transmitted by contact alone with an infected person or a contaminated object.

If you have crab lice, it is important to notify the people living with you and your sexual partners over the past month so that they can be treated.