Speaker: Richard Pollack , Instructor in the Laboratory of Public Health Entomology at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Abstract:
Misconceptions about and fear of head lice frequently instill panic, causing adults to over-treat their children, and school administrators to enforce scientifically unsupportable exclusion polices. These reactions are far out of proportion to the size or actual public health significance of these tiny parasitic insects. Standard diagnostic strategies are notoriously erroneous, instigating a remarkable proportion of unnecessary treatments. Misinformed caregivers and providers frequently use or prescribe these products improperly, or because of fear, shun them in favor of alternative products of dubious efficacy or safety. This session will review the biology, ecology and significance of head lice, depose prevalent myths, and focus on evidence-based strategies for managing head lice.
Biography:
Richard J. Pollack is an instructor in the Laboratory of Public Health Entomology at the Harvard School of Public Health. He provides guidance to international, federal, state and local officials on issues relevant to the biology, epidemiology and management of diverse arthropods of medical and veterinary importance and the pathogens they transmit. He earned a B.S. in Entomology from Cornell University, a M.Sc. in Medical Parasitology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and a Ph.D. in Parasitology from the University of Pennsylvania.