School is here, the weather is getting colder. Kids are wearing jackets and hanging them next to each other while in class. What does this mean? The spread of head lice. When you hear about head lice, many people believe you have to be dirty or not wash your hair to get head lice, but this is far from the truth. Head lice are easily spread to one another through head-to-head contact or becoming in contact with clothing or items used by an infected person.
According to the CDC, head lice are about 2.1-3.3 mm in length. They attach to the hair and move by crawling. Head lice can not jump or hop, so it is spread person-to-person. It is very common for an entire class of children to become infected with head lice due to hanging their jackets together, playing together or sharing hats and scarves.
In order to determine if you have head lice, a thorough examination of the scalp is required. Head lice will stray away from light, so it may be difficult to see them. Using a fine-toothed comb may assist in finding the nits, which are the eggs of lice.
After determining that head lice are present, there are several steps you must take for treatment and prevent them from spreading.
Treatment
You may purchase over-the-counter head lice removal kits. There are several different types, although most contain the same type of treatment.
- It is normally easiest to have the infected person in the bath or shower to ensure their clothing does not become stained from the treatment.
- Apply medication to hair. If the infected person has long or very thick hair, a second bottle may be necessary to ensure proper coverage. Pay close attention to the requirements on the bottle of medication. You will want to ensure the treatment stays on the hair long enough.
- Rinse Thoroughly and have infected person put on clean clothing.
- Re-check hair in 8-12 hours. If there are lice that are slower moving then prior to treatment then the medication may be working. Remove dead lice with a nit comb.
- If after 8-12 hours the lice does not seem effected by the medication, contact your health care provider to get a recommendation on a prescription strength medication or another type of over-the-counter medication.
- Continue treatment for the next 2-3 days, using nit comb to remove dead lice and nits after each use.
- Re-check hair for the next 7-9 days to ensure all of the nits have been removed and there is not any surviving lice.
Other Measures
Treating the infected person will take care of the majority of the head lice, however prior to treatment they may have hung jackets near others, laid on their bed, played with toys or who knows what else. Here are some other measures that must be taken to ensure they are not re-infected or passing the head lice to others in the family.
- Machine wash all bedding and dry on high heat, at least 130 degrees.
- Ensure all clothing worn in the past week has also been washed and dried at 130 degrees.
- Soak all combs and brushes in boiling water for 5-10 minutes.
- Vacuum the entire house, very well. This includes furniture and floors. Any furniture the infested person may have sat on should be vacuumed well, along with under beds and chairs. Lice that have found their way onto furniture or flooring can only live for approximately 1-2 days because they are unable to feed.
If you catch the head lice early and apply treatment properly, you should not have any problem getting rid of them before it spreads to the entire family. Keep a close eye on your children if you find that someone in their class has become infected with head lice, you may not notice the head lice for a few days.
