Head Lice - What You Should Know

Head lice are small insects that survive by feeding on human blood similar to a mosquito. Unlike a mosquito, louse are wingless, and transport themselves from body to body by direct contact.

Head lice, as the name implies, are found on the human head. They only thrive on humans and cannot survive outside of a host for more than two days. these critters are easiest to see on the nape of the neck or behind the ears, where they are not as readily hidden by hair.

Signs that you may have a louse infestation include:

A severe itching sensation of the scalp.
Lice eggs or empty eggs (nits) on the hair shaft.
Small red bumps on the scalp, nape of the neck, or behind the ears.
Pediculosis found in the hair or on pillows, hats, hair brushes, etc.

Direct contact, such as hugging, is one way head lice can spread from one person to another. In the case of school children, in which lice are most prevalent, spreading is usually initiated by hats, coats, hooded sweatshirts, or scarves coming in contact within the close confines of coat closets commonly found in the back of elementary school classrooms (Are you a school nurse? See our page about dealing with head lice outbreaks here).

Sharing personal items such as hair brushes or hair accessories, headphones from CD players, pillows, blankets, batting helmets, stuffed toys or any other item that commonly comes in contact with the hair, provide vehicles for spreading louse infestations.

Contaminated furniture such as bedding, throw pillows, bean bag chairs, or recliners are another means of spreading these pests. This type of infestation transfer typically occurs in the home, after an infected child brings lice home before detection.

Eliminating head lice can be handled without help of a physician, and usually takes about a week. Over-the-counter products, such as Nix lice treatment crème rinse, are specially created to kill head lice are readily available and require daily use for about a week. This regimen includes using a fine tooth comb to comb out dead louse, louse eggs, and louse nits.

It is also important to clean any linen, clothing, hair brushes or accessories to prevent recontamination.

Because of the way children interact, it is all but impossible to prevent a child from getting lice. If you should discover that your child is infected, you should notify the school nurse, so that other students can be examined and notices can be sent home to other parents to help reduce further spread of head lice.

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