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Pubic lice

How long do they survive away from a person?

Trying to work out how paranoid to be about the flat.

wool_coat 2 months ago
NoteMember experience, not medical advice. Symptoms overlap between infections and only a test can tell them apart.

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far_field 2 months ago

Not long. Away from a human host they survive somewhere in the region of a day or two at most, because they need to feed.

So the sofa is not a reservoir waiting for you. Washing recent bedding, towels and clothing is sufficient.

slate_roof 2 months ago

Eggs are a bit more durable but they still need the warmth of a body to hatch and the young still need to feed quickly. Nothing is building a colony in your carpet.

tin_roof 2 months ago

Hot wash and hot dry for what has been in contact in the last few days. Anything you cannot wash, sealed in a bag for a couple of weeks is more than enough.

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