subject: Lice Time, Now What? [print this page] Lice Time, Now What? Lice Time, Now What?
Stigma Shigma! If you have a child in elementary school from ages three to 10, be aware that they are the most likely group to contract head-lice infestation. In the U.S., it is estimated that 3% of school children contract it.
If there is a lice scare in your child's classroom, there's a good chance your child will end up with it; it is, as is often . Recent news indicates that there has been an ongoing debate in schools -- should parents be notified when there is an outbreak of lice?
An article on St.MichaelsPatch.com (Minnesota) says, "head lice protocol is lumped in with communicable disease and thus has been treated the same as other communicable diseases, such as strep throat or influenza, for the past 10 years." The practice in that school district is to put a standard note in newsletters for parents to check their children for lice. Further, that district will not notify parents of students if a single case of lice is reported in a classroom, but will wait until three to five children contract it. The school board cites that it doesn't notify of a single case of lice as it violates a student's right to privacy.
Fact: there are 3,000 species of lice, but only three affect humans. An infestation of lice is called Pediculosis. Specifically, head louse are Pediculosis Capitis.
If you have a daughter, she's more likely to contract lice than your son (females are more frequently infested). Head-to-head contact is the cause of the contraction of lice and girls are more likely to huddle and hug and play closely together. Because of their hair texture, those who are of African descent rarely have lice infestation.
It is also very common for children who are infested, to spread it to members of their family. Lice don't burrow into skin (not because they don't want to, but because they can't). Throughout the day, a lice feeds on blood, as it pierces the skin with the lice's needle-like mouth. As they eat/drink blood, they release saliva (which irritates skin and causes itching).
Lice are wingless insects that crawl throughout the scalp. There are tiny eggs that the female lice lay and these are called "nits." The eggs are tenacious and need to be forcibly removed with a special comb. The lice are very quick-moving so both are hard to remove.
For some patients, itching (which increases as the lice and nits do) is the first sign, but if there is any kind of infestation, it's best to catch it as early as possible, not only to avoid the spread within the patient's scalp, but amongst friends and family members.
Treatment can be with a very tight comb, or the use of a light colored conditioner and comb. The light-colored conditioner can make the nits and lice easier to see and remove. Other treatments and there isn't a product or method in which a single treatment will guarantee 100% removal of the lice and eggs include chemical treatments, natural products, combs, shaving, hot air and silicone-based lotions. You must do as many treatments as necessary to remove all the louse and nits.
Hundreds of millions of people contract lice. In the U.S. alone, six to 12 million (mostly children) are treated. To further prevent transference in a macro environment (a home, a classroom, a school district), all linens (towels, clothing, bed linens as well as all brushes and combs) must be thoroughly washed in hot water. Unfortunately, lice, says The Washington Post, are becoming resistance to pesticides.
You must at the first sign: clean the child's room entirely, throw away trash, collect clothes not in drawers or the closet, stuffed animals and linens and wash with detergent in the hottest water and then dry on a hot setting. Vacuum the entire room and the mattress (vacuum the entire mattress as if it was a floor). Do not put stuffed animals back in the infested room for at least 48 hours. Vacuum again while the clothes are in the dryer.
Note: lice can live up to 48 hours off of a human body.
