From Iceland — Selfies May Be Spreading Lice

Selfies May Be Spreading Lice

Published February 27, 2014

Nanna Árnadóttir
Photo by
Janice Harney Carr, Center for Disease Control

Ása Atladóttir, project manager at the Directorate of Health, has said that outbreaks of lice in Iceland has risen by 20% in the past year and a half, reports Vísir.

Lice infestations have also risen elsewhere in the world and Time Magazine have suggested the cause might be “The Selfie”. Generally a selfie is when someone takes a photo of themselves with their smartphone and uploads it to social media sites. Often several people will cram together to take a picture and it is in these cases that lice are suspected to spread.

“It’s impossible to say [exactly what’s caused increased lice infection]” said Ása who would not speculate whether the selfie was to blame. “A lot of common things could cause the infection. When heads touch [the lice] crawl from one head to the next.”

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