Selfies May Be Spreading Lice

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.”