BACK
TO SCHOOL = HEADLICE PEAK SEASON
Head
lice and nit diagnoses tend to peak at back to school time - mainly because all
those kids are getting their heads together again and sharing the pesky
critters.
Any parent who has dealt with head lice and nits knows how
annoying this problem can be - and most parents with children attending schools
or group settings are likely to encounter it at some point.
Head
lice is caused by a nearly invisible (as they are so small) insect called
Pediculus humanus capitis. The six-legged tiny critter is rarely seen and
parents usually become aware of the infestation by finding the white eggs or
nits in their child’s hair near the scalp or seeing their child scratching.
Head
lice are tiny parasitic insects that generally live on the scalp, where they
hide in the hair, feed on blood, and lay their eggs which often cause severe
itching.
What you need to know about head lice
·
Do not live on pets.
·
Are reddish-brown wingless insects.
·
Are about the size of a sesame seed.
·
Feed on human blood 3-4 times daily.
·
Can't live off the human host for more than 24
hours.
·
Female's can lay up to 100 eggs and require just
one mating to be fertilised.
·
Are able to reproduce in 10 days and live eggs
hatch in 7-10 days.
·
Live on a host for approximately 30 days.
·
Are mainly transmitted by head-to-head contact but
can also be spread through the sharing of personal articles.
·
Can't hop, jump or fly. They swing and climb on the
hair and scalp.
Treating
head lice
When dealing with head lice and nits, never has it be
truer that prevention is better than cure. If you do regular lice hair
checks on the whole family, you can tackle any small outbreaks more easily than
waiting to deal with a full-blown infestation.
Our
best tips on dealing with a head lice infestation:
If, despite your best efforts, the little blighters have gotten
away from you:
·
Concentrate on the head - there is no
evidence to suggest that you need to clean the house.
·
There's no treatment that will kill
all the eggs, so it's really important to repeat the treatment a couple of
times 3-4 days apart.
·
If you are using lotions, apply the
product to dry hair.
·
There is no need to treat the whole
family, unless they also have head lice.
·
Only the pillowcase requires specific
laundering; either wash it in hot water (at least 60 degrees centigrade) or dry
it using a clothes dryer on the hot or warm setting.
·
There is no product available that
guarantees to prevent head lice. Using the conditioner and comb method once a
week will help you detect any head lice early and minimise the problem. Tying
back long hair can help prevent the spread of head lice.
·
Combs with long, rounded stainless
steel teeth positioned very close together have been shown to be the most effective;
however, any head lice comb can be use.
MORE IMOPORTANT FACTS ON HEAD LICE
·
Lice
are more a nuisance than a real health problem.
·
An
infestation of head lice is called pediculosis.
·
A
sure sign of a lice infestation is a child who is madly itching her head,
particularly behind the ears and along the hairline on the neck. But don't
fooled into thinking that if your child isn't itching that they must be
lice-free - some children are fantastic hosts and seem to tolerate lice without
noticeably itching (at least until the infestation has hit plague
proportions!).
·
While
long hair is more tedious to deal with during an infestation, cutting the hair will not solve the problem
as the eggs are laid at the base of the hair shaft.
REMEMBER!
Because
live eggs hatch in 7-10 days, the key to success in getting rid of them is to
repeat whatever treatment you settle on every three-four days for a couple of
weeks. You can only break the cycle if you stop the newly hatched lice from
laying eggs.
