Season 13 • Episode 999

999 - Head Lice and Bed Bugs

Jan 21, 2026

17:13

Episode Description

About this episode:

Nothing can make your skin crawl quite like the mention of lice or bed bugs, especially if you're the parent of young children. The good news: though these blood-sucking pests are a nuisance, they pose limited risk to human health. In this episode: Parasitologist Conor McMeniman explains why infestations start, who's susceptible, and how to get these pests out of your hair—literally.

Guest:

Conor McMeniman, PhD, is an associate professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and faculty at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute.

Host:

Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

No-Panic Guide to Head Lice Treatment—Johns Hopkins Medicine
Bed Bugs: Get Them Out and Keep Them Out—U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Transcript information:

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