 Head Lice : Tips for Parents and Teachers
Learn how children get Head Lice, how to treat it, and how to prevent it.
by Becky Sisk, PhD
Published, October 27, 2003
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If the children in your life get head lice ("Pediculosis
humanus capitis"), do not panic. Head lice can be prevented
and cured. Just follow these tips:
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Head lice are transmitted among children when they share
their hats and combs. Teach children to never use anyone
else's hat or comb. Head lice are also transmitted through
bedding. The lice crawl but do not jump directly from one
child to another.
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A lice infestation is not a sign of poor hygiene. Children
from every socioeconomic level get head lice. They are
most common in girls and least common in African-Americans.
When you become aware that children have head lice, do not
embarrass them by making much ado about the problem.
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When screening for head lice infestations, remember that
female lice lay their eggs, or "nits," in the hair. The
nits adhere to the base of the hair shaft and hatch
within three days to two weeks. Look for the nits along
the nape of the neck and in the hairline behind the ears.
You will occasionally also find them in the eyelids or
eyelashes.
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To distinguish between nits and dandruff, remember that
nits are oval in shape, have smooth edges, and are grey in
color. They are obvious to the naked eye but get no larger
than a sesame seed. Dandruff is irregular in shape and
does not adhere to the base of the hair.
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Head lice feed off of human blood. Their activities cause
intense itching. Teach children not to scratch to prevent
a secondary bacterial skin infection.
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When you suspect that a child has head lice, inspect the
hair. Parents should take responsibility for removing the nits
and lice. The best technique is to:
- Brush the hair and divide it into sections.
- Go through the hair, section by section, with a fine tooth "lice" comb, which is available at the drugstore. Use a strong light.
- Look for the nits at the nape of the neck and behind
the ears. They adhere to the shaft of the hair. Comb
out the nits and lice and discard them by wrapping them
tightly in several layers of newspaper or in a plastic
bag that can be closed tightly.
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Lice live about 30 days on the human body and lay about 100
eggs in a lifetime. By the time a parent finds lice on a
child's head, the lice are probably also in pillows and
carpets in the child's environment. Vacuum all pillows and
carpets with which the child has contact. Wash all bedding
with detergent and hot water. Set your dryer on "hot."
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Prevent further lice infestation by:
- Regular inspections of children's heads for nits.
- Preventing children from sharing hats and combs.
- Keeping children's hair brushes and combs clean.
- Hanging each child's coat separate from the others with
hats tucked down into sleeves.
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The use of chemical preparations to kill the nits and lice
("pediculicides") is controversial. The most common
preparation, lindane, kills the lice by destroying their
nervous systems. The National Pediculosis Association (NPA)
recommends removal of lice with a fine-toothed comb rather
than using chemical preparations. Consult their website,
http://www.headlice.org, for further information.
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Important Note: Parents should consult their child's
pediatrician or pediatric nurse practitioner about whether
to use lindane or other preparations. This article is for
information use only and should not be construed as medical
advice. Information for the article was taken from the
Merck Manual Online and from http://www.headlice.org.
Copyright © 2002, Becky Sisk, PhD
Becky Sisk, Ph.D. is an owner and webmaster of NurseScribe,
http://www.eNurseScribe.com .
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Suggested Links
· National Pediculosis Association
· Headlice Information
· Head Lice Info.com
· Head Lice Information Sheet
· Head Lice Centers for Disease Control
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