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Head Lice: What You Need to Know
Treatment
Head lice are tiny parasitic insects that survive on human blood. They live in the hair and scalp of humans and are
especially prevalent in children aged 3-12, particularly girls.
Lice don’t spread disease, but they are very contagious and
can spread quickly in a group setting like a school, transferring from one child to another through head-to-head contact,
clothes, combs, brushes, pillows, blankets or towels.
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Your pediatrician will probably recommend a
medicated shampoo. These products are insecticides,
so it’s important to follow the directions carefully;
otherwise you may cause more harm. A product
called Ulesfia was recently approved for treating kids
with head lice who are over six months of age. It is a
water-soluble gel that suffocates head lice and is not a
pesticide. If any medication doesn’t work after using
three times, consult the doctor, who may recommend
another method. Do not use a cream rinse or shampoo
or conditioner before applying the medication, and do
not wash hair 1-2 days after applying treatment.
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Remove lice and nits by hand by using a fine-tooth
comb on your child’s wet hair after treatment. Continue this process every 3 to 4 days for 2 weeks after the
last live louse was seen. Nit combs are often found in
lice medicine kits, but a new, clean flea comb made
for dogs and cats can also be effective.
Lice aren’t dangerous, but they are a nuisance. They can
cause a child’s scalp to become itchy, inflamed and possibly
infected.
Preventing Head Lice
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Tell kids to avoid head-to-head contact at school or
sharing things that have been close to another child’s
head – for example, combs, brushes, hats, scarves,
barrettes, helmets or other personal care items with a
classmate, even if that person doesn’t have lice.
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Tell kids not to lie on anything that has been used by
someone with lice.
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Regularly clean things that your child’s head has
direct contact with, such as car seats, pillows, head
phones, etc., if they have been shared with other
children.
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Check anyone else in your home who has been in
close contact with the infected child every 2-3 days
for signs of nits or lice. It is not necessary to check
pets, who cannot acquire head lice.
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Check your child for nits and live head lice once a
week. Lice can be found anywhere, but they are often
on the back of the head, near the neck and behind the
ears. Be extra vigilant in checking if there have been
reports of head lice at your child’s school.
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To prevent a re-infestation, wash all bed linens and
clothing worn by anyone who’s had head lice in very
hot water, followed by a hot cycle in the dryer. Dry
clean clothes that are not machine washable. The
same applies to bed sheets and stuffed animals. Alternately, you can place them in airtight bags for two
weeks. Vacuum any carpets and furniture in your car
or home, as well as soak hair care items in rubbing alcohol or medicated shampoo for one hour. Or, simply
throw them away.
Signs and Symptoms of Head Lice
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The presence of lice eggs (“nits”) or adult lice. Nits
look like tiny yellow, tan or brown dots before they
hatch; after hatching, the leftover shell is white or
clear. It’s more common to see nits in a child’s hair
than it is to see live lice, which are about the size of
a sesame seed and are grayish-white or tan in color.
Lice don’t fly or hop, but they can crawl very fast,
making them hard to spot.
Scratching. Your student may also complain of a
tickling feeling or the sensation that something is
crawling around in his hair.
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Small red bumps or sores on the head due to
scratching. An excessive case could lead to a bacterial infection. If this is the case, see your student’s
doctor, who may treat the infection with antibiotics.
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General irritability.
The Federal News Services, Inc.
A Division of PaperClip Communications
Acquiring head lice is not a sign of poor hygiene, so having a case of head lice should not be an embarrassment to a
child or his parents. Head lice is a common problem, and wellto-do kids are just as likely to get a case of head lice as those
lower on the socioeconomic level.
Sources: kidshealth.org; about.com; medicinenet.com
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Prepared by The Federal News Services, Inc.
Reproduced or retransmitted under license by The Federal News Services, Inc.