Can Body Lice Transmit Disease?
Unlike
head lice, which do not transmit disease,
body lice can, in some cases, spread diseases. Epidemics of typhus and louse-borne relapsing fever have been caused by body lice, for example.
Though typhus is no longer widespread, epidemics still occur under the following conditions:
- During times of war
- During civil unrest
- During natural disasters
- In refugee camps
- In prisons where people live crowded together in unsanitary conditions.
Typhus still exists in places where climate, chronic poverty, and social customs prevent regular changes and laundering of clothing.
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