The itchy truth about Tinder: 750,000 people on the dating app are infested with pubic lice, scientist warns
In the blog series “times I am glad to be single and celibate,” I present to you:
- Estimates put prevalence of pubic lice at 1 to 2% of the population
- This means on Tinder alone there are 750,000 worldwide with crabs
- Rates are higher in older people and men who have sex with men
- There is no evidence rise in waxing has made pubic lice extinct
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We were told they’d been wiped out by the increase of waxing.
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Now, experts warn pubic lice are still rife and can strike those who least expect to be infested.
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In fact, Dr Cameron Webb, a scientist at the University of Sydney, warns that 750,000 people on Tinder worldwide have crabs.
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After a person gets pubic lice, it can take several weeks before symptoms appear and some people will not experience any symptoms at all.
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Signs of lice include itching in the affected areas, scratching, tiny blood spots on the skin or underwear, blue-coloured spots on the skin, and black powder in underwear.
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Here, writing for The Conversation, he explains what the creatures are and why we should be worried…
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What’s the worst thing you could be burdened with this Valentine’s Day? Unrequited love? Unwanted affection? Unpaid invoice from the local florist?
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How about an itchy dose of pubic lice?
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Pubic lice, Phthirus pubis, or ‘crabs’ as more commonly known, were once thought to be one of the most contagious sexually transmitted infections, but they rarely rate a mention in most sexual health research these days.
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Perhaps their absence from the sexual health spotlight is due to the lack of serious health implications associated with infestation, the shifting grooming habitats of those most sexually active or, perhaps in the age of internet diagnosis, few people present their itchy nether regions to the local doctor.
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Pubic lice are thought to have been our parasitic companions for more than 10,000 years. There is paleoparasitological evidence of lice infestation throughout human history.
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They weren’t just a problem of the poor either. The remains of royalty have been found infested.
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Even the rise of sanitation and bathing in the Roman Empire wasn’t enough to stop the spread of pubic lice.
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Pubic lice aren’t the only creatures to adapt to life on humans.
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…Pubic lice are small six-legged insects about 1.5mm long. They have a crab-like appearance with large claws perfectly designed for a life clinging to and scurrying up and down pubic hair.
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They don’t live long, perhaps less than a month, but a female louse can lay around 30 eggs during that time, ensuring a steady population of lice is maintained. Once off the hair, they’re clumsy and lucky to survive a couple of days.
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They’re typically found on hair in the pubic region but can live anywhere coarse hair is found.
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…As these parasites feed on human blood, they’re prone to causing skin irritation including raised, red lumps and an intense itchiness.
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The irritation is not caused by them scurrying around as most people would think.
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It’s caused by an irritation of the skin when the lice inject their saliva to get the blood flowing in order to feed. They feed a few times each day.
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Related Posts:
(Link): Those Times When You’re Glad to be a Celibate, Single Christian – 2 [Herpes Dating Site]
(Link): Syphilis Sparks Concern in Popular Vacation City
(Link): ‘STD-Verified’ Dating App Is Startup Culture Via Nutshell: Frank, Unchecked, Inevitable by J. Burns
(Link): 60 Year Old Lady Contracted Herpes from Cheating Husband
(Link): CDC Report: Virgin Teens Much Healthier Than Their Sexually Active Peers (2016 Report)
(Link): The Myth of Safe Sex by D. Foley
(Link): Gonorrhea Super Strain Becoming ‘Untreatable’ (in the UK; may be heading to the USA) – 2015 story
(Link): Planned Parenthood Tells Teenagers “It’s Great to be a Slut”
(Link): Stop Pretending Sex Never Hurts, By D.C. McAllister
(Link): Christian Preacher Admits He Won’t Preach About Sexuality For Fear It May Offend Sexual Sinners
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