How did my child get Head Lice?

Head Lice is a very common problem among preschool children attending child care centers, Daycares, elementary schoolchildren and the household members of infested children.

Personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school does not stop the spread of head lice. Head-to-head contact with someone who already has lice is the most common way to get the tiny insects. Head-to-head contact is common during play at school, at home, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, and camp). Head lice move by crawling; they cannot hop or fly. 

Although uncommon, head lice can be spread by sharing clothing or belongings. This happens when lice crawl, or nits, attached to a fallen hair, hatch.  They get on the shared clothing or belongings. Examples include sharing:

• clothing (hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms)  
• articles (hair ribbons, barrettes, combs, brushes, towels, stuffed animals) recently worn or used by an someone with lice in their hair  
• lying on a bed, couch, pillow, or carpet where someone with lice in their hair has been.

Dogs, cats, and other pets do not play a role in the spread of head lice.

“Everybody has to deal with the problem, nobody is exempt,” stated Laura McDougall, Assistant Director, Four Corners Health Department. “Head Lice is not a sign of neglect or poor living conditions, they are easily spread, and can affect people across all walks of life” continued McDougall.

The head louse is an insect that can be found on the head, eyebrows, and eyelashes of people. Head lice feed on human blood several times a day and live close to the human scalp. They are not known to spread diseases.

Head lice have three forms; the egg (also called the nit) the nymph, and the adult. Nits are the eggs laid at the base of the hair shaft; they are firmly attached and very small. They appear yellow or white in color, although sometimes they may appear to be the same color as the hair of the infested person. The nymph is the immature louse that hatches from the nit. Nymphs mature into adults about 9-12 days after hatching.  A fully grown adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed has six legs. The adult louse lives about 30 days on a person’s head but will die within one to two days if it falls off a person. Adult females can lay about six eggs each day.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends these steps be taken to help prevent and control the spread of head lice:

• Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp).
• Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes.
• Do not share combs, brushes, or towels.
• Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with head lice.
• Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items worn or used by someone with lice during the 2 days before treatment.  Use hot water (130°F) when washing the clothing and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned OR sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
• Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the person with lice sat or lay. Do not use pesticide sprays or fogs; they are not necessary to control head lice and can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

To help control a head lice outbreak in a community, school, or camp, children can be taught to avoid activities that may spread head lice.

For additional information on prevention and treatment of Head Lice go to www.cdc/parasites/lice/head/prevent.html.  For other questions about this or any other health issue email:  questions@fourcorners.ne.gov   or call 402-362-2621 (toll free 877-337-3573)