Back to School = Head-lice Peak Season

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.