The louse is

a bloodsucking parasite that lives close to the scalp and feeds on the

blood of its host. Lice feed with piercing and sucking mouthparts, injecting

saliva to keep blood from clotting. This feeding process causing itching.

They are usually

found on the lower back of the head and behind the ears, but can be found

anywhere on the head. A female head louse will live about 30 days on a

host. During this period, she will deposit about 90 eggs or "nits"

which are cemented to hair shafts near the scalp, and which will hatch

in about one week.

Generally speaking,

nits found more than 1/4-inch from the scalp are either infertile or hatched.

Signs of infestation

include:

Frequent head

scratching.

Complaints

of itchy scalp/head.

Redness behind

the ears or on the back of the neck.

Dispelling myths

Head lice

are very common among all classes of people. Having them does not reflect

socioeconomic status or personal hygiene. More than 12 million people,

mostly children and school personnel, get head lice each year.

Lice cannot

hop, jump or fly, but they can crawl rapidly.

Head lice

cannot live off a human host for more than 24-48 hours. They cannot live

on pets, nor can they reproduce in carpets, furniture or other household

furnishings.

Infestations

cannot be controlled completely with head lice shampoos alone. Shampoo

treatments must be combined with manual (by hand) removal and removal

in the environment to be successful.

Pesticide

sprays do little or nothing to control lice. Never spray your home, clothing,

furniture, bedding, etc. with pesticides (e.g. lice bombs, flea bombs,

etc.) in an attempt to control head lice. This would expose you and your

family to unnecessary pesticide risk.

How to successfully treat

a head lice infestation

Examine the

head under a bright light and remove as many live lice and nits as possible.

Use a 'nit comb' (found at most drug stores, and sometimes included with

lice shampoos) or very fine-toothed comb and start the process at the

neck area.

Take a small

section of hair, examine the scalp in that section, and pull the comb

through from the scalp to the ends. Make sure to dip the comb in a cup

of hot soapy water or use tape to remove nits/lice and other debris before

going on to the next section.

The National

Pediculosis Association and The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension

Service state that "manual removal is the safe alternative and necessary

component of any head lice treatment regimen."

If a lice shampoo

is used, be certain to follow label directions exactly. Failure to do

so could lead to ineffective treatment, and/or dangerous side effects.

There are many

of these products (pediculicides) on the market. Some contain the active

ingredient permethrin (such as Nix) which kills eggs as well as live lice:

and offers 14 days residual protection. Other products use

natural enzyme

cleaners to kill lice and eggs. If a person or parent has a desire to

avoid chemical treatment entirely, the Health Department can instruct

them in a method that uses olive oil. Whichever product/process you choose,

you should remove all clothing, apply the pediculicide or treatment as

directed, then put on clean clothes.

To prevent

reinfestation, check all members of the same household on the same day,

and treat all that have head lice on the same day.

The other critical

piece of the lice-removal process is the environment. Clothes, bedding,

and other items contacted by the infested person within 48 hours should

be washed in hot water with a detergent, and dried in a clothes dryer.

Items that

cannot be washed may be dry cleaned, or placed in a sealed plastic bag

for 10 days, or placed in a freezer. Freezing is lethal to eggs, nymphs

(immature louse), and adults; as is a temperature of 125 F for 30 minutes

or more.

Carpets, chairs

and sofas (including pillows) should be vacuumed. If the infected persons

head has or may have come in contact with drapes or curtains within the

48 hours prior to treatment, they should also be washed, dry cleaned,

or vacuumed according to fabric type. Car seats and headrests, child car

seats and carriers should also be vacuumed.

Although head

lice cannot live more than two days off the host; if an infected person

who has just been treated returns to the same sofa, bed, or carseat where

s/he shed lice that morning, or the night before, then that person will

be reinfested.

Many products

require re-treatment in 7-10 days to kill any lice that may have hatched

since the initial treatment. Regardless of the type of treatment used,

the head should be checked daily for the next 10 days: and regularly thereafter.

If 3-5 nits

are found, another manual search and removal is recommended. The process

for lice removal is tedious at best, but very necessary for successful

treatment.

The Fayette

County school system has a "no nit" policy. This means that

the school cannot accept children into class who have live lice or nits

in their hair.

Health Department

nurses will examine clients for head lice, and educate them about the

various treatment options and their procedures. Once treatment has been

completed, the client may then return to the Health Department for re-examination

and school clearance.

Since we are

aware of, but cannot by State Protocol practice, a "no-nit"

policy, we will inform clients when we still see nits in the hair and

ask that they be removed prior to returning the child to school. We realize

that this is frustrating to parents; think of how much more frustrating

to the child who is sometimes socially ostracized and falls behind in

school because of missed days.

To insure that

you and/or your child are not side-tracked by this 'hair aising' experience:

· Check

your children for signs of head lice regularly. Lice are much easier to

eliminate if caught early.

· Teach

your children not to use the grooming items, hats and other headwear,

or headphones of others, and to avoid head-to-head contact.

· If an

infestation occurs: follow the guidelines of your physician, or health

department personnel carefully. There are no short cuts to successful

treatment of head lice.

· Cooperate

with the head lice policy of your school and its clinic personnel. These

policies are in place to prevent widespread infestation, not to exclude

children from school.

For further

information, please contact the Fayette County Health Dept. at 770-461-1178,

ext. 5416.

Information

for this article was obtained from:

University

of Maine Cooperative Extension Service

University

of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service

https://www.bugwood.org/ipm/factsheets

/controlling_head_lice.htm

National Pediculosis

Association, Inc.

www.headlice.org

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