So you suspect your child has head lice. There is no need to be embarrassed or believe that head lice is a sign of bad hygiene, as head lice actually prefer cleaner hair. Who knew?! Now to tackle the nasty critters…

What head lice are

Head lice are tiny crawling insect parasites that live on the human head and feed off it several times a day by sucking human blood from the scalp. The females lay their eggs on the hair strands close to the scalp. The eggs, also called nits, are glued tightly to the hair strands and hatch after about seven days. An individual louse cannot survive for more than a few hours off the human head.

How head lice are spread

The primary way that head lice are spread is through head-to-head contact with someone who already has head lice. It is said that head lice can run from one head to another in a matter of seconds. Although the lice cannot fly or jump, they can ‘trapeze’ from one hair strand to another. Lice could be transferred by sharing brushes and combs, but the eggs cannot because of the glue that holds them to the hair strands.

Symptoms that your child might have them

    • Itchy scalp that can develop from lice bites
    • Skin sores that result from scratching to relieve itchiness
    • Seeing live, moving lice on the hair or scalp. Lice are between 1 and 4 mm long and vary from colourless to a reddish brown
    • Lice eggs (nits) are grey-white and the size of a grain of salt so are very hard to see, but may be seen stuck to hair shafts close to the scalp.

How to get rid of them

There are different methods that can be used. Wet combing with conditioner or a lice lotion can be done every 10 to 14 days to remove the lice. This has to be done until no more lice or eggs are found. Electrified lice combs kill the lice through electrocution, but will not get rid of the eggs. Several products are on the market – be sure to read the instructions of the product you use very carefully.

Also…

    • If your child is infested, let the school or any places where he or she has been in contact with others know.
    • Wash his or her bed linen, hats, soft toys, towels, etc in hot water or place items that cannot be washed inside airtight bags for at least two weeks to kill any lice or nits.

 

Sources
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, 2009. Head Lice booklet
Department of Health, Government of Western Australia, 2002. Head Lice Fact Sheet
Reader’s Digest Good Health Fact Book. 1996. Reader’s Digest.