Some of the old time problems may return with the lack of sanitation and adequate water for washing. You may invite both head and body lice or scabies into your home with that unkempt stranger,even a child, needing a helping hand. From what I've heard these things are not eradicated by mere soap and water either, are there any doc's or other professionals out there who can tell us how to prepare to deal with these situations? What should we have on hand to battle these and other once common human miseries?

-- Ann Fisher (zyax55b@prodigy.com), January 16, 1999

Answers

Hi Ann!...This is one of my concerns, too, as we have 3 kids..(2 in elementary school, one in Jr. High.). This month's issue of The Mother Earth News delt with natural methods of household pest control, and one of those was head lice. The natural way? Common Mayonaise, (=NOT= low-fat or salad dressing) rubbed into the hair and scalp and left on for 2 hours before rinsing. It wasn't mentioned, but I would think a plastic shower cap would help contain the mess while you waited. Some of the OTC shampoos contain very strong pesticides, not a good idea to use on young children whose immune system has not yet fully developed, IMHO. Obviously, try not to allow sharing of coats, hats or other clothing. If contaminated clothing, hats, gloves, towels, sheets , pillowcases, etc, cannot be washed in HOT water, seal in plastic bags for 10 days. Adult lice and the newly hatched (from the =NIT=, or egg,) will die in that time without feeding. GOOD LUCK!!

\/\/illis in OKC, OK ON 01/16/1999

-- Willis (BANDIT1@ontheroad.com), January 16, 1999.

Hi Ann!...This is one of my concerns, too, as we have 3 kids..(2 in elementary school, one in Jr. High.). This month's issue of The Mother Earth News delt with natural methods of household pest control, and one of those was head lice. The natural way? Common Mayonaise, (=NOT= low-fat or salad dressing) rubbed into the hair and scalp and left on for 2 hours before rinsing. It wasn't mentioned, but I would think a plastic shower cap would help contain the mess while you waited. Some of the OTC shampoos contain very strong pesticides, not a good idea to use on young children whose immune system has not yet fully developed, IMHO. Obviously, try not to allow sharing of coats, hats or other clothing. If contaminated clothing, hats, gloves, towels, sheets , pillowcases, etc, cannot be washed in HOT water, seal in plastic bags for 10 days. Adult lice and the newly hatched, (from the =NIT=, or egg,) will die in that time without feeding. GOOD LUCK!!

\/\/illis in OKC, OK ON 01/16/1999

-- Willis (BANDIT1@ontheroad.com), January 16, 1999.

To all, Sorry, I didn't mean to post twice, got a case of 'stutter fingers' today...

\/\/illis in OKC, OK on 01/16/1999

-- Willis (BANDIT1@ontheroad.com), January 16, 1999.

Question:

1. "Will LICE,SCABIES etc.return with poor sanitation?"

1a. "Are you prepared?"

Answer:

1. Yes

1a. No

Addendum:

So will Small Pox, Dysentary, Typhoid, Tuberculosis, Giardiasis, Scarlett Fever, Bubonic Plague carrying rats, Rabies, Measles, Rubella, Yellow Fever, Encephalitis, Hepatitis, Coxsackie Virus, Mumps, Infectious Mononucleosis, Cat Scratch Fever and everybody's favorite...

E. Coli.

True, Polly, we deal with this stuff all the time, however in a breakdown of medical services and sanitation, these things could spread like wildfire, and our collective immune systems are probably not historically very strong.

Conclusion:

Be vewy, vewy careful, wabbit!

-- a (b@c.def), January 16, 1999.

Shaving all body and head hair is an effective solution for lice. And shaved pubes on females -- yum yum. (just have a stockpile of "baby wipes"). As to scabies, I don't know.

-- pv (pv@yesohyesyes.com), January 16, 1999.

Actually, smallpox might not return at all, as long as the only two places on earth known to still have the virus in cold storage are not breached. IIRC, the World Health Organization celebrated the apparently complete eradication of smallpox at least a decade ago. (It infects only humans, so is not lingering in some animal host.)

IIRC, the CDC in Atlanta and one other facility have kept a small extremely-well-guarded amount of smallpox virus in storage in case of the possibility that vaccine needed to be produced in the future.

-- No Spam Please (anon@ymous.com), January 16, 1999.

Tea tree oil can be used for elimination of lice, I've been told. It is also a good antiseptic for many skin conditions; boils, etc.

I suppose you could put a few drops in a spray mister full of water and treat the furniture, too.

Haven't actually had to try this (thank goodness!), but think it's worth keeping a bottle around.

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), June 23, 1999.

No Spam said: ...smallpox virus in storage in case of the possibility that vaccine needed to be produced... This strikes me as a bogus reason on the part of the CDC, since if the need arises to produce vaccine, there will be virus available from the new victims.

-- Dancr (minddancr@aol.com), July 09, 1999.

1) Dancr WRONG!! the level of virus needed to create innoculations will NOT be available from victims.

2) Why isn't there some RID in the HBA section of your y2 stockpile?? (yup, gotta ask Mr. Driver that one too)

3) NIT combs are CHEAP add a couple to your stockpile, as well as flea collars for the pets.

Chuck

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), July 09, 1999.