HEAD LICE

Several children at AP2 have been diagnosed with head lice.  Please read the information below and check if your children are affected

What is a Head louse?

Head lice are tiny insects that live on the skin covering the top of your head. Lice can be spread by close contact with other people.  Head lice may also be found in eyebrows and eyelashes.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Head lice infect hair on the head. Tiny eggs on the hair look like flakes of dandruff. However, instead of flaking off the scalp, they stay put.

Head lice can live up to 30 days on a human. Their eggs can live for more than 2 weeks.

Head lice spread easily, particularly among school children.

You can get head lice if you:

· Come in close contact with a person who has lice

· Touch the clothing or bedding of someone who has lice
· Share hats, towels, brushes, or combs of someone who has had lice

Having head lice does NOT mean the person has poor hygiene or low social status.

Having head lice causes intense itching, but does not lead to serious medical problems. Unlike body lice, head lice never carry or spread diseases.

Symptoms

Symptoms of head lice include:

· Intense itching of the scalp

· Small, red bumps on the scalp, neck, and shoulders (bumps may become crusty and ooze)
· Tiny white specks (eggs, or nits) on the bottom of each hair that is hard to get off

Lice on scalp and clothing may be difficult to see, unless there are a lot of them.

Treatment

Lotions and shampoos

· To use the medicine shampoo, first rinse and dry the hair.

· Then apply the medicine to the hair and scalp.
· After 10 minutes, rinse it off.
· Check for lice and nits again in 8 to 12 hours. If the lice seem active, talk to your health care provider before treating again.

An important part of treatment is removing the eggs (nits). Certain products make the nits easier to remove. Some dishwashing detergents can help dissolve the "glue" that makes the nits stick to the hair shaft.

· You can remove the eggs with a nit comb. Before doing this, rub olive oil in the hair or run the metal comb through beeswax. This helps make the nits easier to remove.

· Metal combs with very fine teeth are stronger and more effective than plastic nit combs.
· Removing eggs may prevent the lice from returning if the medication fails to kill every one of them.
· Treat children and adults with lice promptly and thoroughly.
· Wash all clothes and bed linens in hot water with detergent. This also helps prevent head lice from spreading to others during the short period when head lice can survive off the human body.
· Repeat combing for nits in 7 - 10 days.

Prevention

Never share hair brushes, combs, hair pieces, hats, bedding, towels, or clothing with someone who has head lice.

 

Nurse Love