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THE FACTS OF LICE A Parent Education Program on Head Lice Presented by : Centennial School District Certified School Nurses
THE FACTS OF LICE A Parent Education Program on Head Lice
Presented by : Centennial School District
Certified School Nurses
Introduction
• Worldwide phenomenon since pre-historic times
• Not known to cause disease • Social stigma • Causes anxiety and embarrassment to
student and family
Risk Factors • Pre-school and elementary-age children, 3 to 11
year old, and their families • Females more than males
• Girls more than boys aged 3 to 12 years old • Close head-to-head contact
• During sports activities, slumber parties, camp, etc • Contact with hats, scarves, coats, brushes, towels, linens, pillows
are less common cause for infestation • No evidence to support separating them reduces the risk of infestation
• Rare in African-Americans • Hygiene, home cleanliness are not a factor
wwwCDC.ORG; www.KIDSHEALTH.ORG, www.SNP; www.HOMESTEAD.COM; LICE21.HTML)
The Life-Cycle of Lice
Nits • The eggs • Small yellowish-white, oval-shaped • Glued to the side of a hair shaft • Must be laid by live lice
• Cannot "catch nits." • Egg hatches in 7 to 10 days • Female matures in 7 to 10 days
• Begins to lay her own eggs
WWW.HEADLICE.ORG
•Louse/Lice • One insect/more than one insect
• Clear in color when hatched, then quickly develop a reddish-brown color after feeding
• Small, the size of sesame seeds
• Wingless
• Crawling insects
• Cannot hop, jump, or fly
• Six legs with claws to grasp the hair
• Need human blood in order to survive.
• Can not get lice from pet
The Life-Cycle of Lice (con’t)
WWW.HEADLICE.ORG
•Live for approximately 30 days on a host
•Needs a host to live
•Will not survive for more than 24 hours off
of its human host
•A female louse may lay up to 100 nits (eggs)
The Life-Cycle of Lice (con’t)
(cdc.com)
Symptoms
• Itchy scalp • Red, irritated scalp
WWW.KIDSHEALTH.ORG
Where are Lice Found?
Scalp, behind ears, nap of neck Most common
Body, eyelashes, eyebrows Rare
Treatment Treat the lice and the child
Reassure Comfort Normalize
The child will take cues from your reaction
Washer Linens, clothing, backpack, etc. Very hot water 130 degrees
Dryer Hot cycle 20 minutes
WWW.KIDSHEALTH.ORG
Treatment (con’t)
Vacuum carpets and upholster furniture in home and car Wash hair care items, including
accessories in hot water
WWW.KIDSHEALTH.ORG
Shampoo affected child in pediculocidic shampoo; repeat shampoo in 7 to 10 days
Rid
Nix Comb, comb, and comb some more to remove all nits (eggs) Bring child to school after 1st shampoo
Nurse check before re-admission to school
Bring empty shampoo box
Comb with fine-tooth comb for at least two weeks
Works best when done on a cycle of days 1, 5, 9, and 13
Treatment (con’t)
Do not treat unaffected family members
Schedule weekly head checks
Treatment (con’t)
HOW TO INSPECT HAIR
Using a comb with a pointed end Separate hair into sections Top right, top left, bottom to nape of neck
Begin combing hair: starting at the scalp, combing the entire hair shaft
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Causes: • Resistance to medication is increasing
• Medication kills louse/lice but is not able to
penetrate the eggs
• New infestation
• Can be infested more than once
• Not following treatment instructions fully
Resistant Cases
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/headlice.html
• Cause (con’t)
• Inadequate amount of medication
• Long hair may require two bottles of pediculicide to fully wet the hair
• Re-shampooing the hair again immediately after applying the pediculicide
• Don’t rewash hair for 1-2 days after treatment
• Not combing
• Comb, comb and comb some more
Resistant Cases (con’t)
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/headlice.html
ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS
Cetaphil, mayonnaise, olive oil, Dawn dish soap,
vinegar No scientific evidence proving effectiveness
Never use kerosene!
www.snp.homestead.com/lice21.html
What Can Parents Do?
Weekly head checks
Contact the school nurse
www.snp.homestead.com/lice21.html
What Can the Schools Do?
Children may return to school after treatment
With the box top and parent
School nurse must check their hair
May return to class if there are no nits within ½ inch from the
scalp or live bugs
Routine mass screenings are not recommended
This practice takes students away from the classroom and
learning
Exclusion From School
Excluded if: A student has live insects or nits (eggs)
within ½ inch from the scalp
‘No nit’ polices have not been proven to
decrease cases of active lice cases
(CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL CDC; 2010 )
Please don’t hesitate to contact your school nurse if you have any questions.
RESOURCES NASN pediculosis position statement
http://www.nasn.org/Default.aspx?tabid=237 AAP policy on head lice
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;110/3/638
Harvard School of Public Health http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/headlice.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/lice/factsht_head_lice.htm
Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/head-lice/DS00953
