08-21-2010, 12:48 PM
Sorry, Carrie. Someday I will tell you my hitchhiker's kid with ukus story. You will be scratching your head for weeks and never pick up another hitchhiker.
The truth is these parasites (bed bugs, ukus, scabies amongst others) will all do extremely well as long as there are hosts for them, and at 7 billion and counting there are lots of people for them to feed on. These pests cross all geographic and socioeconomic lines, wherever there are people, there are parasites. The best policy is awareness of the signs of infestations, sanitary awareness like not sharing combs, and preventative segregation of possibly exposed items when bringing them into your home. I am super sensitive to insect bites, and I get long term negative secondary skin conditions from them that are really uncomfortable, so I am more vigilant than most people.
When ukus made the rounds of my daughters' school we found that the poor and working class families dealt with it right away and thoroughly, even if it meant missing work and spending grocery money at the laundromat washing everything you own that can fit in a washer. The more affluent families tended to be in denial and made really half assed efforts at first. The wealthiest family in the school reinfected the whole class 3 times. Finally, I had to sit down and show the Mom how to use a nit comb to go through every hair on her kids' heads, and explain how and why to wash, freeze, or bag up all possible carriers. She kept saying "But we aren't dirty, how can we give anyone head lice?" But the fact that there was an embargo on her kids being invited to anyone's house finally woke her up, and after seeing the evidence with her own eyes she realized that these things can happen to anyone who is around other people, especially kids.
Carol
The truth is these parasites (bed bugs, ukus, scabies amongst others) will all do extremely well as long as there are hosts for them, and at 7 billion and counting there are lots of people for them to feed on. These pests cross all geographic and socioeconomic lines, wherever there are people, there are parasites. The best policy is awareness of the signs of infestations, sanitary awareness like not sharing combs, and preventative segregation of possibly exposed items when bringing them into your home. I am super sensitive to insect bites, and I get long term negative secondary skin conditions from them that are really uncomfortable, so I am more vigilant than most people.
When ukus made the rounds of my daughters' school we found that the poor and working class families dealt with it right away and thoroughly, even if it meant missing work and spending grocery money at the laundromat washing everything you own that can fit in a washer. The more affluent families tended to be in denial and made really half assed efforts at first. The wealthiest family in the school reinfected the whole class 3 times. Finally, I had to sit down and show the Mom how to use a nit comb to go through every hair on her kids' heads, and explain how and why to wash, freeze, or bag up all possible carriers. She kept saying "But we aren't dirty, how can we give anyone head lice?" But the fact that there was an embargo on her kids being invited to anyone's house finally woke her up, and after seeing the evidence with her own eyes she realized that these things can happen to anyone who is around other people, especially kids.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb