Too bad Vladimir Putin didn’t get this memo before the Sochi Olympics.
A Russian government health agency called the Kursk branch of the Rospotrebnadzor warned recently that selfies are a predominant reason for the spread of head lice, reports The Moscow Times.
“According to experts, the reason for the spread of lice among teenagers is their love of ‘selfie photographs,’ in which teenagers … facilitate the transmission of parasites by touching heads during a group photo,” details an online statement from the government agency, which specializes in human well-being.
The statement also includes a brief background about the parasite for curious parties.
“Every resident of medieval Europe was infected with head lice, and as a treatment used mercury — they ate it and rubbed it into their skin,” reads the statement.
While it does not specifically mention selfies, the CDC’s description of head lice appears to back up the logic of the Russian health agency.
“Head lice infestation, or pediculosis, is spread most commonly by close person-to-person contact,” says the CDC.
However, as BBC News points out, Rospotrebnadzor’s pronouncement should be taken with a grain of salt. The former head of the agency is infamous for recommending killing crows to stop the spread of the bird flu and being associated with bans put on food and beverage imports from countries the Russian government doesn’t like.
Next time you upload to Instagram, try not to imagine parasites jumping from your friend’s head to your own.
