Head Lice: Health Department Release

BINGHAMTON, NY - Fall is the season for reading, writing, arithmetic - and head lice. Claudia Edwards, of the Broome County Health Department says this back-to-school time of year is when head lice are more often found. During Head Lice Prevention Month in September, she urges parents to be on the lookout for these tiny hair hitchhikers.

Lice are tiny, brown and gray parasites that can cause itching and scratching, especially on areas of the body that are covered with hair, such as the scalp, neck and behind the ears. If your child's hair is involved, you might be able to see the tiny lice eggs (called "nits"), which look like white grains of sand attached to the hair shafts.

"Head lice don't fly or hop. It takes head-to-head contact to get them," Ms. Edwards said. Lice bites may cause inflammation and itching and can become infected. "Lice live primarily on the scalp but temporarily, lice can be transferred on clothing, bed linens, combs, brushes and hats that come in contact with an infected person," said Ms. Edwards.

Six to 12 million people are infested with lice each year. "Kids and teens are most prone to catching lice, because they are often in close physical contact with other infected children, and because they are likely to share such personal items such as combs, brushes and hats," she noted. You can help prevent lice by taking the following precautions:

• Avoid physical contact with a person who has lice.
• Don't share combs, brushes, hats, scarves and other personal items.
• Examine and treat members of your household who have had close contact with a person infected with lice.
• Your school nurse will tell you when your child can return to school.

"Although head lice have never been shown to transmit disease, just the presence of head lice is considered a disease, called Pediculosis," noted Ms. Edwards. "As head lice suck blood from the scalp, they inject their saliva into the wound. Repeated exposure to the saliva eventually causes an allergic reaction. A child with a persistent problem may get swollen glands and a lot of irritation caused by the infestation."

When faced with head lice, ask your school nurse or health care provider to recommend the best way to get rid of head lice and their eggs (nits). Chemical Head Lice products do not kill the lice eggs. Removing the eggs (nits) is the most important step in ridding your child of head lice. "Be persistent by checking your child's head for lice regularly and always removing all of the nits," said Ms. Edwards.

If children do get head lice, Ms. Edwards says all clothing and bedding must be washed and dried on high heat to kill the lice and eggs. To guard against re-infection from eggs that hatch later, toys, such as stuffed animals, should be sealed in plastic bags for two weeks. Hair-care items, such as combs and brushes, can either be soaked in hot water or medical shampoo, or thrown away.

Checking your own child routinely after a letter is sent home from the school nurse, and periodically throughout the school year, is the best precaution against head lice infestation. For more information about head lice and how to treat it, contact the Broome County Health Department at 607.778.2851.

CONTACT:
Diane O'Hora, Supervising Public Health Educator,
Broome County Health Department, 607.778.3921
email: dohora@co.broome.ny.us

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