|
The school nurse calls to tell you that your child has head lice. Your blood pressure starts to rise.
After the initial shock and disbelief wears off, you begin your plan of attack. What should that be?
First, you should realize the myth that head lice (medically know as pediculus humanus capitis) are associated with poor hygiene, dirty households and neglectful parents is just that - a myth.
Head lice are very common in the U.S. It can show up anywhere. Most affected are preschool- and elementary-age children because of their close contact during playtime and at school, health experts say. Sometime, head lice may be acquired from contact with clothing, such as hats, scarves and coats, or with personal items, such as hairbrushes and towels. It may also be picked up by lying on a bed, couch, pillow, or stuffed animal used by a person who has lice.
What are head lice?
There are three forms of lice:
- The adult is about the size of a sesame seed, has six legs and is tan to grayish-white. They look darker on someone with dark hair.
- Nits are head lice eggs. They are oval, usually yellow to white and attached to the hair shaft. Very small, they are hard to see and may be confused with dandruff.
- A nymph is a baby louse. It looks like a small adult and becomes an adult in 7 days.
Head lice are irritating but do not transmit infectious diseases and are not life threatening. When lice puncture the skin to draw blood for survival, their saliva causes itching and may result in an allergic rash.
Lice can be difficult to spot because they move quickly and shy away from bright light. Begin by inspecting the hair and scalp carefully. Dandruff can sometimes be confused with lice, but dandruff is easily removed by flicking, whereas lice and their eggs are not as easily dislodged. If you're not sure if someone has head lice, ask your health care provider or school nurse to check.
What is the treatment for head lice?
If someone in your family has head lice, the most important thing is to use head lice medication to kill the lice on the person and other family members. Wash clothing and bedding that was used 2 days before treatment by the person who has lice. Other recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include:
- Use an over-the-counter or prescription medication approved by your health care provider or school nurse. Follow all instructions about how to use the medicine. Note: Do not use creme rinse or combination shampoo/conditioner before using lice medicine. Don't wash hair for 1 to 2 days after applying medicine.
IMPORTANT: Medications for head lice should not be used on children under age 2 and should not be applied by pregnant women. For children under age 2, use a nit comb. If this doesn't work, contact your health care provider for recommendations.
- After treatment, check hair and comb with a nit comb (usually included in lice medication package) every 2 to 3 days to remove nits and lice. Continue checking for 2 to 3 weeks to be sure they are all gone.
- Machine wash all clothing and bedding with hot water and dry on high for at least 20 minutes. Dry clean clothing that is not washable.
- Store all clothing, stuffed animals, comforters that can't be washed or dry cleaned in a sealed plastic bag for 2 weeks.
- Soak combs and brushes in rubbing alcohol or Lysol for 1 hour or wash with soap and hot water.
- Vacuum the floor and furniture where the person with lice usually sits and lays.
Note: Head lice do not live long once they fall off the person so don't spend a lot of time or money on cleaning.
|
Related Articles
|
|
External Sources
 |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
|
|
Harvard School of Public Health
|
|
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
Return to the previous page
|
