Healthy Happenings, By Nurse Dakin
A GUIDE TO THE TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF HEAD LICE
It’s hard to believe a year has passed since we last nit-picked, but with kids back at school
again, you know what that means; outbreaks of head lice. Each year the annoying little critters
make nests in the hair of about six million kids. Here’s the annual guerilla guide on prevention
and treatment.
WHAT ARE HEAD LICE?
Lice are small insects about the size of a sesame seed. They move quickly; shy away from
light; and are usually light brown. Nits are their eggs. They are tiny, grayish white and oval;
attach to the hair shaft, usually at the nape of the neck, behind the ears and at the crown.
Nits are often confused with hair debris such as Dec Plugs, which are bright white, irregular
shaped clumps of fat cells or even dandruff or dried hairspray residue.
THE FACTS OF LICE
* They can’t jump or fly.
* They require a blood meal every 4-5 hours.
* Female lice lay 3-5 eggs daily and live about 30 days.
* Lice are spread mainly by head-to-head contact with lice-infested people but can be spread on clothes, combs and brushes.
* Animals do not carry lice, so your pet dog or cat is not the culprit.
If your child keeps scratching his or her head or you can see red bite marks or scratch marks
on the scalp, inspect the hair in natural light with a magnifying glass. Since lice are hard to
see, you may see only their nits.
1. Inspect all other family members. Treat only those with evidence of infestation.
2. Obtain a lice remedy (pediculicide) from your pharmacy. If the product does not come
with a special nit-removal comb, ask your pharmacist for one.
3. It’s important to limit pediculicide contact to the scalp and neck, since these products
are really pesticides. Lean the child over the sink - do not have him or her stand in the
shower or bathtub.
4. Remove the nits with the special comb - no pediculicide kills all of the nits. If you
have trouble using the comb, you can also pick the nits out with your fingernails or cut
off the infested hairs with safety scissors.
5. For the next two weeks, check the child daily for nits. If there is evidence of new nits
or newly hatched lice, repeat the treatment procedure. Head checking should then
become part of routine hygiene.
You should delouse the house if someone in your family has become infested. Machine wash
and dry (on hot) all clothing and linens the person may have touched in the last three days.
Anything that can’t be washed (rugs, furniture, car seats, stuffed animals) should be vacuumed
thoroughly or bagged in plastic for ten days. Do not use insecticide sprays in your home or
car. They may be harmful to family members or pets.
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