Each year many students get head lice. Although head lice are not a major
health concern, the experience can be very disheartening. Especially since
some strains of head lice are becoming resistant to the current treatment
regimens.
Head lice are nondiscriminatory as to what type of hair they inhabit. The
louse is said to be an equal opportunity, gender blind, ethnically diverse
parasite. In other words, no one is immune. The best way to decrease your
chances of getting lice is to discourage sharing of personal items that may
be carrying the louse. (i.e. combs, hats, barrettes, bedding).
When a case of head lice is discovered at school, the School Nurse or
Principal’s designee checks any siblings in the district and all classmates
that may have had close contact with the infested student. Prevention is the
best cure. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. I would recommend
checking your hair weekly to ensure early detection. If you discover that
you have head lice, please notify the School Nurse or Principal/designee as
soon as possible. The sooner we are aware of the problem, the better able we
are in preventing the spread to other students.
The following information will be helpful to you and your family in the
prevention and treatment of head lice.
General Information
The head louse is a parasite that lives on the scalp of humans and feeds on
their blood. The main route of transmission is direct head to head contact.
However, sharing personal items such as hats, brushes, combs, and barrettes
can also spread lice… Lice need human blood to survive. Without human blood
a louse will die in 24 hours. Therefore, a louse cannot live on pets. Lice
do not hop, jump or fly. They move around on the head by pulling themselves
along the hair strands. The life expectancy of a louse is between 30-40
days. A female louse is capable of laying eggs (nits) 7-10 days after it
hatches and can lay as many as 100-200 during it’s life. A louse is clear to
white and very small, about the size of a point of a pencil, when it first
hatches. After the louse feeds on human blood, it becomes a reddish brown
color. In about a week it will grow to the size of a sesame seed.
The eggs that are laid by the female louse are a white/gray color. They are
tear drop shaped and are fastened to the side of a hair strand by the louse.
An egg cannot be flicked off of the hair strand like dandruff or shampoo
residue. An egg will hatch approximately 7-10 days after it is laid. Total
egg removal is the only way to ensure that reinfestation will not occur.
Treatment Options:
****Only treat family members who have signs of lice or lice eggs.
1) Over the counter lice shampoos are pesticides and should be used only
as needed according to package directions. Read the directions carefully
because some of the products need to applied to dry hair and others to wet
hair. (For more information, please refer to the attached article that is
published by the Wisconsin Division Of Public Health). Lice shampoos do not
kill all of the lice and eggs, so it is essential to meticulously remove all
of the lice and eggs after treatment to prevent reinfestation.
2) Alternative treatment options:
Suffocation of live lice may be accomplished by covering the hair with a
thick application of mayonnaise, Vaseline, a tub of butter or olive oil for
12 hours. A shower cap over the solution will help hold it on the hair. The
solution can be washed out after 12 hours with regular shampoo. This should
be used if other methods have failed. The effectiveness of alternate
treatments is unclear. As with lice shampoo, complete removal of all the
eggs is essential to prevent reinfestation.
3) Nit Removal
Complete egg/nit removal is the best way to ensure that reinfestation will
not occur. The eggs can be removed from the hair shaft by grasping the egg
between your fingernails or tweezers and pulling. The hair shaft, with the
egg on it, can also be cut off with a small pair of scissors. Dispose of all
removed eggs in the garbage or wash then down the sink after removal. Lice
combs can also be purchased at most drug stores and may work on some hair
types.
4) Cleaning the environment:
Never use lice sprays!!! The lice sprays are potentially harmful and do
little to eliminate lice/eggs. Vacuuming is the safest and best way to
remove fallen lice or eggs from furniture, mattresses, car seats and
carpets. Linens and clothes worn in the last three days, including jackets
and hats, should be washed in hot water with laundry soap. After washing ,
dry the linens and clothes in a hot dryer for a minimum of 20 minutes. Any
plush items that cannot be laundered, such as down comforters and stuffed
animals, should be sealed in a large plastic bag for 3 weeks.
Soak combs, brushes and barrettes in hot water (>130degrees F), Lysol,
rubbing alcohol or a lice-killing chemical for 1hour.
Sincerely,
Kerri R. Schmidt RN, BSN, CCM
School District Nurse (365-9235)
