HEAD LICE DO NOT PANIC
Head lice are not an emergency and in most cases, do not pose any health risk.
Head lice cannot live off a human host for more than 24 - 48 hours. Head lice cannot live on pets; Head lice cannot reproduce in carpets, furniture or other household furnishings.
Direct head to head contact with an infested person is the main way head lice are transmitted, but they may also be transmitted by sharing hats, scarves, headphones, combs, and other hair accessories. Lice cannot jump, hop or fly, but they can crawl rapidly.
Head lice are small, wingless parasitic insects. They are typically 1/6 - 1/8 inch long, brownish in color with darker margins. The claws on the end of each of their six legs are well adapted to grasping a hair strand. Female head lice glue their grayish-white to brown eggs(nits) securely to hair shafts. The eggs are resistant to pesticides, and they are difficult to remove without a special 'nit-comb' and carefully removing manually. The nits are generally near the scalp, but they may be found anywhere on the hair shaft. A child cannot catch nits. Nits can only be laid by live lice.
Watch for signs of head lice. Check your children every few days if head lice are reported in their school. Lice are easier to eliminate if caught early. Teach your children not to share hats, headgear, scarves, headphones, and grooming items and to avoid direct head to head contact. To kill lice on bedding, clothes, etc.,wash and dry them as would ordinarily. Never add any pesticide. Vacuum materials that cannot be washed. Wash stuffed animals or vacuum them thoroughly. You can also put them in a hot dryer for 30 to 40 minutes. Wash brushes, combs or hair accessories with hot soapy water.
To remove lice/nits:
1. Work in a well lighted area or use a flashlight and hand lens.
2. Use a grooming comb or hairbrush to remove tangles. a hair detangler spray or other hair conditioner may aid in this process.
3.Divide hair into sections and fasten off the hair that is not being worked on.
4. Use a lice comb to detect and remove lice and nits.Go through hair sections from the scalp to the end of the hair. Nits are usually found close to the scalp but not always.Start at the base of the neck and section by section to the top of the head. Then do each side the same way starting behind the ear and moving up. You can also remove the nits by firmly grasping with your thumb and index finger and pulling down the entire hair shaft.
5. Dip the comb in cup of hot soapy water or use tape to remove lice, nits or debris from the comb.
6. Sift through the same section of hair and look for attached nits and live lice.
7. Move to the next section until the entire scalp and all hair has been checked.
8. Screen the infected person every day for 10 days and regularly thereafter.
You cannot completely control head lice infestation with head lice shampoos alone. You must combine shampoo treatment with manual removal. Follow directions for head lice shampoos. A second treatment is recommended 7 to 10 days after the first shampoo due to the life cycle of the lice egg.
A child will be excluded from school if live lice are found and or there are many nits present. After proof of treatment and an improvement of the number of nits, they will will be able to return to school.
