With schools coming back in session across the Commonwealth, parents should be on the lookout for one thing that can ruin the start of the school year for them and their children: head lice.
September is Head Lice Prevention Month across the country and highlights awareness of this insect and steps parents can take to avoid infestation.
The simple head louse is one of three types of lice that can infest people. They can live in human hair where they feed on tiny amounts of human blood. The louse itself is difficult to see because they’re very small, avoid light, and move fast. Their eggs, called nits, are much easier to see. They look like common dandruff but are attached to the base of the hair, close to the scalp. And they only live on humans—they cannot live on pets.
Although anyone can get head lice, infestation is most common among children attending childcare and elementary school and their household members. They can also be seen in additional group settings such as sports teams and camps.
Head lice only move by crawling and spread by direct contact with the hair of an infested person, though spread can also occur by using shared objects such as combs, hairbrushes, hats, or other personal items. A head louse usually doesn’t survive for more than two days away from human body, its source of human blood for nutrition.
While head lice aren’t known to spread disease, they can be irritating, biting the scalp and causing itching, which can lead to excessive scratching and subsequent sores that can become infected. A person infected with head lice can often times have a tickling feeling of something moving in the hair, out-of-the-ordinary itching, difficulty sleeping, and having sores on the head from intense scratching.
If you suspect head lice infestation, look for the following signs:
- A live, crawling louse on the scalp or hair. A fine-tooth comb and magnifying glass maybe required to see them.
- If an actual louse is not seen, look for nits firmly attached with a quarter-inch of the base of the hair shafts. Though the presence of nits suggests infestation, it does not confirm it. Look for the nits on the hair behind the ears and near the back of neck.
- If no nymphs or adults are seen, and the only nits found are more than a quarter-inch from the scalp, then the infestation is probably old and no longer active and does not need to be treated.
You can learn more about the care of someone with head lice at this CDC page.
If you or someone in your household are infected with head lice, consult your healthcare provider. Treatment is with a medicine known as a “pediculicide.” All members of the household also should be treated on the same day. Learn more about treatment at the CDC head lice treatment page.
After initial treatment, here are four critical steps to control a head lice infestation:
- Use an effective head louse treatment. Your healthcare provider can recommend a medicated shampoo, cream, or lotion to kill the lice. Retreatment after 7-9 days is recommended to kill any surviving lice before they produce new eggs.
- Remove any nits from the hair by using a fine-toothed comb.
- Remove any lice and nits from your home by vacuuming, storing, washing, washing, or freezing any items the infected suspected of being infested.
- Check heads daily and remove nits until infestation is gone, followed by weekly head checks to detect re-infestation. Every 2–3 days, comb the hair with a nit comb to remove nits and lice to decrease the chance of re-infestation. This should continue for 2–3 weeks to be sure that all lice and nits are gone.
Information about head lice is plentiful:
- Consult with your healthcare provider.
- Call your local health department. To find your local health department, use this locator tool.
- Visit the CDC’s head lice page.