Body lice recurrence among homeless people in Tokyo

Abstract

In recent years the number of homeless people in metropolitan areas of Japan has been growing. In Tokyo alone, there are an estimated 5,600 homeless people. The Toshima City government has had outreach programs for the homeless people from 1984. In this program, medical staffs and sanitary inspectors have check- ed body lice infestation in patients since 1995. We analyzed the personal history and life style of the homeless people, and also checked lice infestation among the homeless people who came to outreach programs held in other municipalities in Tokyo. The average infestation rate of body lice found in outreach programs of Tos- hima City from 1999 to 2001 was 6.5%. The age of the most people infested with body lice was in their fifties, and many of them had histories of homelessness of less than a year. In outreach programs in Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Kita Cities, no body lice patients were found, but at a clinic of the Johoku Welfare Center in Taito City, about 100 body lice cases are found each year. This number is more than the total number of body lice patients in Japan reported by the Ministry of Health and Wel- fare because the reporting of body lice cases from welfare centers or public health offices is not obligatory. Lice-borne diseases are still epidemic in the world. It is im- portant to consider problems related to poverty in the metropolitan areas in Japan, es- pecially the need for fulfilling basic sanitary needs for homeless people. The monitor- ing of body lice cases and adequate support including lice control are strongly recom- mended.