Lice

Photos of lice

Photos of nits

School Practice

• Students with the presence of live lice or new nits shall be excluded from school until treatment is complete

• "No nit policy" is no longer good practice-research has shown that students have been excluded unnecessarily

• Students shall be readmitted to school following completion of treatment

• Students shall be re-examined weekly until all evidence of infestation is gone

Facts

• Earliest symptom of infestation is itching especially behind the ears and at the nape of the neck

• Lice are passed by direct contact

• Lice can be transferred when clothing are hung together

• Lice can be transferred when sharing combs, brushes or hair ties

• Lice can be spread through contact with upholstery-couches, chairs, movie theater seats, car seats, towels, bedding, etc.

• Lice need blood to survive

• Lice do not jump or fly-they can only crawl

• Lice do not spread communicable diseases

• Lice affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, races or sex

• Cleanliness or lack of cleanliness does not affect the prevalence of lice

• Life span of a louse is approximately 30 days

• A female louse lays approximately 90 eggs or nits

• Nits appear like tiny, white, tear drop globules attached with a glue like substance

• Nits can be confused with dandruff, but nits are uniform in size and shape and cannot be flicked off the hair

• Nits hatch within 7-10 days

• Hatched nits can reproduce after 10 days-beginning the cycle again

• Adult lice can survive off of a human host for 2-4 days at 74 degrees or 1-2 days at 86 degrees

• Nits can survive off of a human host for 10 days, but will not hatch if the temperature is less than 68 degrees

• Use of hair spray or gel can impede lice as they can only cling to one strand of hair at a time

Treatment

• Over the counter and prescription remedies are effective

• Pregnant women, infants, people with asthma or ragweed allergy should consult a doctor prior to treatment

• Agents that kill lice may not kill nits and treatment should be repeated  no longer than 7-10 days after original treatment

• Prior to treatment, remove clothing

• Apply lice medication according to the label instructions

• Use a towel to protect eyes (lice rarely infest eyebrows and eyelashes and medication should NOT be used in the eye area)

• Bathe or shower and put on clean clothing following treatment

• Family members should all be checked and everyone infested should be treated

• Treating, laundering and cleaning must be thorough to prevent re-infestation

Cleaning

• Exposing lice and nits to temperatures above 125 degrees for 10 minutes is lethal

• Clothes and bedding can be disinfested by machine washing in hot water and then machine drying on the hottest cycle for 20 minutes

• Ensure that each wash load has adequate hot water

• Non-washable items can be placed in the dryer on high heat for 20 minutes

• Dry clean or seal non-washables in a plastic bag for at least 10 days

• Dispose of combs, brushes and hair ties/ornaments or heat them in a pan of water to 150 degrees for 10 minutes

• Thoroughly vacuum furniture, rugs, carpets, car upholstery, child car seats, etc.

• Fumigating rooms and using insecticides on furniture or carpet is NOT RECOMMENDED to kill head lice

Lice are a nuisance-not a health hazard!